Upon the Backs of Legends
by Koriat Cyredanthem
Summary: Sequel to "Upon the Wings of Myths," this story will be about Kiziah and Alexander, and their journey into teenagehood. Old enemies and new complicate their journey. Leo must learn to be a father and Master of the clan, a daunting task for any turtle. Warning: Character death occasionally.
1. The World I Grew Up In

_Hey, look who it is! (Me, in case you didn't know…). It's been a big couple of months since I last updated. Found out my right hip is about 3 cm taller than my left, and I've torn my left hip abductors. Ouch. _

_Disclaimer: I still don't own them. _

**Chapter 1: The World I Grew Up In**

"Daddy?"

Leo leaned up onto one elbow, looking over his book. He had heard Alexander walking down the hall, and wasn't surprised to hear the knock and call. "Come in," he invited, putting the book on his nightstand.

"Tuck you in," Alexander said as he came through the door. As Don had predicted, the pale turtle was speaking already. It had just barely been a month since Kiziah's hatching. Kiziah was still silent, though she enjoyed squeaking when someone tickled her.

"Aren't I supposed to tuck you in?" Leo asked as Alexander waddled over to his bed. "Seems to me I did that." The youngest turtle was still walking on all fours, and showed no inclination to walk on two legs like his sister was starting to do.

"Got out." Alexander had an uncanny ability to get out of his crib, even after Don had modified the locks and put a roof on it. "Sleepy time," he ordered, pushing himself up on the side of Leo's bed to push the blankets under his father's side.

Leo reached out and gently scooped up his son, tickling his plastron and being careful of his wings. Don had warned them that Alexander's wing bones were hollow, like Leo's, but much more fragile than his father's. Alexander giggled happily and then tried to make a serious face. "Sleepy time _now_!"

"But I don't want to go to bed," Leo said, pouting at his son.

"Bed, Daddy!" Alexander didn't speak a word unless he knew how to pronounce it – which was why he tried to avoid "th" words.

"Alright, but you need to get back to bed first." Leo stood up and headed for the door.

"Promise?"

"I promise I'll go to bed right after putting you to bed," Leo said solemnly. He had been about to when Alexander went on a night walk. The baby did it often enough – at least three or four times a week. Lil' Sis had taken to sleeping in the nursery to watch him, and summoned one of the brothers if he started moving around too much. She must have taken the night off to sleep in the hay of her room, Leo guessed.

Without turning on any lights, Leo made his way to Alexander's crib and tucked the child in before locking the top down. He noticed that one of the bars was slightly askew and pushed it back into place.

Closing the door softly behind him, Leo started back to his room. He glanced in on Mike, who was sleeping in a tangle of bed sheets, stuffed toys, pillows, and comic books. It was hard to tell where the turtle began and ended. The eldest chuckled softly and gently covered a foot peeking from under the covers.

Next, he stopped in on Don, who was actually asleep. The braniac had spent a lot of time recently looking up home school materials. April had let him use her mailing address, and he was nearly ready to start lessons.

Leo peeked in on Raph and found Lil' Sis snoring contently next to Raph's hammock. The red-banded turtle had one hand flung off the hammock, and the mare's nose just about touched it as her neck sloped gracefully. Her ears flicked and she lifted her head to look at Leo, whickering a soft welcome. He smiled and closed the door softly.

Leo finally made it back to his room and lay down again, turning off the light and lying on his plastron. It was the only comfortable way to sleep, with his wings and tail, though he didn't like constricting his breathing.

The eldest closed his eyes and shuffled his wings into a comfortable position. His tail felt cold against his calf as he drifted off into sleep.

As usual, Leo found himself awake well before the others. He yawned and stretched, rolling to his feet gracefully. Rubbing his eye a little, Leo found his way to the bathroom blind. He heard someone moving around in the kitchen and figured Master Splinter hadn't been able to sleep. The aging rat had been having sleeping problems. Don said it was probably normal; he had read that older humans had problems sleeping as well. Master Splinter took a hot bath every night, and drank hot tea with a small amount of sleeping powder Don made for him.

Once done in the bathroom, Leo checked on the babies. Both were still asleep, so he left them to snooze and headed for the kitchen. Inside, Master Splinter was waiting for water to boil.

"Good morning, Master," Leo said courteously, half-bowing.

"Good morning, my son," Master Splinter answered, smiling softly. "Will you join me for tea?"

"Yes, please." Leo and Master Splinter had taken to having their cup of tea together in the morning before everyone else got up, so they could talk, or meditate, or just sit and think in a calm silence that Leo's brothers – and especially the babies – rarely could maintain.

Their peaceful sipping was interrupted by a wail. Leo recognized the tone; it was Kiziah, and she wanted out of her crib. Though she didn't speak, she knew how to make her needs known. Alexander's voice joined her a split second later.

"I had better get them," Leo said, thanking Master Splinter for the tea and hurrying into the nursery. Alexander was half-way out of his crib, and Kiziah was watching him with big eyes. Leo untangled his son and scooped up his daughter. They went to the kitchen for their morning feed.

Mikey came down half-way through Alexander's second bottle and accepted the pale baby from Leo to finish feeding. Kiziah drank one bottle and burped on Leo. Alexander tucked away three before refusing a fourth and burping on Mikey's lap. The two adults took the babies to the bathroom to change them and sponge the spit off their plastrons.

"Good morning Mikey," Leo finally greeted. Mikey grinned and nodded in reciprocation. "Are the others up?" The youngest adult shook his head. "Alright. We'll play with these two until they wake up."

Alexander laughed as Mikey tickled him. "Tag!" he insisted. Mikey shook his head.

"You cheat," Leo told Alexander, chuckling.

"Nuh uh!"

"Poor Mikey can't fly," Leo reminded his son.

"Why?"

"He doesn't have wings." Mikey finished putting on Alexander's diaper and the baby stared at his caretaker as if seeing him for the first time.

"Why?"

Mikey chuckled in his chest as Leo answered. "He doesn't have bat genes like you and I do."

Alexander blinked in utter confusion. "Why?"

"Because…" Leo tried to think of an answer. "I will tell you when you're older."

Alexander's eyes went even wider. "Like huff huff man?"

"…What?" Both Leo and Mike stared at Alexander.

"Uncle Raph watch TV last week. Man make huff huff sounds and other man make sounds like this." Alexander smacked his thigh with his hand. Leo and Mikey glanced at each other, perplexed. "Uncle Raph said would explain when I older."

Leo and Mike smacked their foreheads. "Porn?" Leo mouthed to Mike. Mike was desperately trying not to laugh and shrugged, but nodded. Leo groaned and finished Kiziah's diaper. _I will have to speak to Raph about that,_ the eldest told himself.

"What?" Alex had seen their exchange and was confused.

"We'll explain when you're older," Leo told him. "Now, let's go play." Kiziah giggled happily and cooed at Leo, bopping him on the nose. The eldest chuckled and tickled her with his tail as the four made their way to the living room.

Leo didn't let the babies watch TV much; he would rather they spend their time playing, growing stronger, and learning. Due to their mutant status, the world was a dangerous place. He wanted them to be as innocent for as long as possible – which Raph appeared to be jeopardizing already – but he knew they would have to grow up one day.

They began with a fast-paced game of hide and seek. Alexander agreed not to use his wings, and kept his promise. Leo was very strict on respecting one's word, though his children didn't quite know what honor was yet.

After they had all been _it_, they sat down to play Kiziah's favorite game, tic tac toe. She cheated frequently, but no one cared – except Alexander. He would scream and cry when she won, and Leo would take him away to sit in the corner.

Eventually, Raph and Don emerged slowly from their rooms and went to the kitchen. They joined Mike and Kiziah in a game of peek-a-boo, though Raph preferred to cover Kiziah's eyes than make the ridiculous sounds. Don was all too happy to croon at the little girl as Mikey tickled her.

Soon, Leo brought back Alexander when the pale turtle promised to behave and the six turtles sat down for Story Time. Though Leo forbade them – especially Raph – from telling scary stories, Leo wanted his children to know some family stories. Mike usually drew pictures as one of his brothers told a story.

Don decided to tell a story about the Battle Nexus, and the mutants, aliens, and other creatures they met there. Leo then chose a story about his flights through the jungles in Brazil, though he didn't mention his hunting. Raph then told a story about their childhood hangout in a little worn-out hole in the wall, about the time they built a fort. Raph played the evil ninja while Don and Leo played knights protecting the fort.

This, of course, sparked a new game. Alexander demanded they play, too. Leo said they could, but they had to stay inside. Alexander started another "Why" marathon, and Leo lost this one again, but his rules were firm. Alexander and Mikey built a fort under Lord Leo's direction while Kiziah was named Damsel in Distress and placed in a shrine of pillows. Raph and Don were to be the evil ninjas storming the castle.

Mikey and Alexander fought a brave defense but eventually Don tickled Alexander into submission and Raph had Mikey cornered in the bathroom. Raph locked the bathroom door using a cabinet and he and Don launched an attack on Leo, who put up a brave fight but was eventually "killed." Raph captured Kiziah and spirited her away to his and Don's hastily-erected castle.

By then, Kiziah and Alexander were complaining of hunger again. Don and Raph fed them and then put them down for a nap. The hothead then put Lil' Sis in to watch them and joined his brothers in the dojo. They began stretching and some warm-up katas. Then they paired off to work out against one another. They hadn't forgotten, over the past couple of months, how much danger their family was in…

_~Speaking of which…~_

"_What, if I may ask, happened?"_

_The cool voice chilled Alex. She shook her head in disgust. "My hired scientist became… unobjective. He believed the mutants to be more than they seemed."_

"_And how did they escape?"_

"_They jumped a pair of guards and escaped."_

"_I am disappointed."_

Alex knew she had blown it when she called Mr. Saki with the news that the turtles had escaped… But what else could she do? Mr. Saki had immediately revoked his funding. She was the laughing stock of the scientific community; her videos of the mutants had been "proven" false. Alex had released them when she realized the turtles were long gone, in a hope of bringing awareness and – more importantly – showing the world that she had discovered them first.

She had received many thousands of calls. Most were from cracks, saying they'd see the "green men" in their neighborhood. Alex didn't have the funding to pursue them anymore. She'd had to disconnect her phone eventually, after the hate calls – not to mention hate mail – had outnumbered the "sightings."

Alex had scraped together enough to get back to the United States, after two months… She was going to New York. Raphael's accent had been pure Brooklyn, and it was the only lead she had. She looked around her spacious facility – now empty. A single chopper waited outside, to bring her to the nearest airport.

"Ma'am? We're ready." A young man poked his head into her office. He had a harried look on his face; doubtless, he wanted to get on the way.

"I'm coming." She picked up her purse – her bags were few and already packed – and followed him out. She ducked under the chopper blades and half-ran to the side, then opened the door and hopped in. The young man climbed into the cockpit and they were off.

_They will be mine_, Alex vowed to herself as the compound shrunk away beneath her. _And when I'm done with them, they will pay for making me look like a fool. _

_~Somewhere else~_

A lean Japanese man paced restlessly. Saki had been waiting for a chance to snatch the turtles from Alex, but it had come too soon. He hadn't been ready to get them when they had arrived back in New York. He had no doubt they were holed up in those sewers his ninjas couldn't enter without punishment.

The Foot clans had been looking for him, but no one had heard a peep out of any gangs claiming their crimes had been interfered with, and those crimes were escalating. The New York police forces were baffled; they had been becoming more and more efficient, they said, but crime rates were rising for the first time in almost fifteen years.

Saki was getting tired of the incompetence. His private jet was fueling and he was about to go to New York. Hun was searching the streets, so he said; Saki was tired of the caution. He was going to lead them down, into the sewers, and bring the entire Foot Clan in New York with him. Saki was also flying over half of his new ninjas, fresh from training in Japan. All told, he was mobilizing over two hundred ninjas, Hun and his gang of thugs, and himself. Surely they could find the turtle's hole in the ground.

Saki lashed out in his anger and the wall split beneath his knuckles. He needed those turtles back. The woman's idea to breed them had been ludicrous, but he had indulged her. She would be getting a warm visit from a dark stranger in the middle of the night.

_~Elsewhere~_

Leo ducked and sprung onto Raph's back, bearing him down to the mat. His tail wrapped around the hothead's ankles, his wings buffeted him. Raph cursed and tried to heave his smaller brother off of him, but Leo had him securely pinned.

Don and Mikey were wrestling half-heartedly, but mostly were trying to avoid Leo's beating wings.

"Alright, alright, I yield!" Raph yelled, going limp. Leo heaved himself up and off of Raph, offering his brother a hand. "I call that cheatin'," he informed his brother.

"I call it strategy. You need to be able to defend yourself."

"Against what? A winged turtle?" Raph shot back.

"Who knows?" Leo chuckled. "Time to get the kids," he ordered. Mikey and Don helped each other up and Don headed for the upstairs bathroom to take a shower. Raph headed towards the downstairs bathroom to do the same.

Mikey and Leo headed to the cribs. Alexander was already awake and waiting for them; Kiziah woke at the sound of her brother screaming a greeting. Leo picked up the smaller of the two while Mikey made cooing noises at Alexander.

"Time for food," Alexander giggled. Mike chuckled and nodded, and they headed for the kitchen. Kiziah gaped her mouth happily at Leo, who tickled her cheeks with his nose. Leo headed for the kitchen and found Alexander happily chewing away at the nipple of a bottle. Leo handed Kiziah another bottle and held her as she sucked on it happily.

Alexander tucked away four bottles and then burped all over Mikey. Kiziah finished hers and they went for a bath again. Alexander splashed Mikey constantly, cleaning him off as well. Kiziah giggled as she was soaked; Leo kept a careful eye on her. Once the two babies and Mikey were clean, Don and Raph appeared to clean up the bathroom.

The babies and the two adults went to the living room and played board games. Master Splinter joined them, but Alexander watched him carefully. The winged baby had no reason to mistrust his grandfather, but he was wary all the same. It baffled the adult turtles and Splinter himself.

Raph and Don joined them for a few rounds of Candy Land – usually halted when Kiziah decided she didn't want to be on Leo's team and crawled across the game board to sit on Don's lap. Alexander was concentrating so hard on making good moves, on behalf of Mikey, that he looked like a tiny Leo when his father was trying to get a new kata just right. Raph noted the resemblance and chuckled.

Mikey let Raph take Alexander after an hour and got up to make lunch for the adults and bring out more bottles. Don and Raph whisked away the babies for a changing. The elevator dinged; Leo greeted April and Casey as they walked in.

"Hey, Leo," April greeted happily. She hugged him and handed him a bag. "We brought more baby food. We heard Alexander was getting hungrier each day."

Leo chuckled. "He eats nearly as much as Mikey." He locked Casey in a one-armed headlock. "Hey, Casey."

"Hey, big guy," Casey grunted, wiggling out of the grasp. "Where's my niece and nephew?"

"They're being changed." April went over to the couch to greet Master Splinter while Casey went to taunt Raph about changing a diaper.

"April and Casey are here," Leo told Mikey as he walked into the kitchen. Leo sorted the formula packages and put them away. Mikey nodded and set out two extra places. He always cooked enough food for guests, which was part of the reason their fridge was full of leftovers.

"I can't believe it's only been a couple months," Leo muttered as he placed the tubs in the cabinet. Mikey grunted agreement. "Alexander's getting so big already… And Kiziah's getting stronger every day."

Leo felt sad – his children would never grow up with others. They would only have themselves and the adult mutants. He dreaded their first upstairs adventure. Leo remembered his vaguely; he had gone out chasing after Raph again, but that time the hothead had tried to elude his big brother on the streets of New York.

That night had been when the lesson of why they lived underground, in secrecy, kicked in. They didn't have TV at that time, but Master Splinter had showed them pictures in books of humans, and told them of the danger men and women posed. _He never told us they would try to make friends, though_, Leo said to himself. Though it was unfair; Master Splinter couldn't have foreseen Alex's betrayal. Leo shook himself out of his thoughts and headed out to see where his children were. He disliked being out of eyesight with them for long.

He found April and Kiziah playing patty cake while Casey and Raph and Alexander played knights-and-castles. Raph and Alexander stormed Casey's pillow fort. Leo snatched his son out of the way when Raph tackled Casey to the ground. Adult rough play was no game for a youngling.

Mikey rang the bell to summon them to lunch. Casey and April were seated between Leo and Master Splinter; Alexander and Kiziah had baby chairs that locked them in, and Mikey had given each a bottle to suck on. Halfway through the meal, Alexander demanded another one.

Casey and Raph went to the dojo to work out together. April and Mikey cleaned up the dishes and the babies while Don and Leo talked about Don's latest project over an after-lunch cup of tea. Splinter took himself off to his room to meditate.

"Hold up Leo." Leo stopped as he started to get up. Don reached around and rubbed his hand over Leo's wings. "You're dry again." Leo sighed.

"It takes more and more frequent groomings," he complained. "Can I get more of that oil, please, Don?"

"Sure." Don got up to go fetch a bottle of oil; Leo followed him out. Casey and Raph were watching a movie in the living room. April and Mikey finished with the dishes and cleaned up the chairs Alexander and Kiziah were sitting in before taking the babies to be changed as well.

Leo lay on the floor and spread his wings out. Don knelt next to his left wing and poured oil over a cloth. Gently, with circular motion, he rubbed the oil into Leo's wing. His brother purred happily and Don chuckled.

Leo was half-asleep by the time Don finished and the purple-banded brother left him to his nap. Alexander toddled over a few minutes later, followed by April. He fell on Leo's shell and crawled over his father while Leo held still.

"He's getting so big and strong," April commented, sitting down next to the winged turtles. Alexander curled up on his father's shell and closed his eyes for a nap. Mikey walked into the living room to see and immediately gave Kiziah to April and went to fetch his sketch book.

Once the sketch was done, April asked to see it. Mikey grinned and handed it to her; it depicted Leo and Alexander lying together. Mikey had drawn softness and love into their lines. April grinned. "You're really good, Mikey. You could probably make a killing off of commissions."

Mikey tilted his head in confusion.

"Commissions? They're where a person asks an artist to draw something for them. A tattoo, for example, or a picture of their character for a book. You can do it online, at this one site… Here, I'll show up." April gave Kiziah to Leo, tucking the dark baby into the space next to Leo's neck, and led Mikey into Don's lab to find a computer.

Leo curled a protective arm around his daughter as she yawned at him, cooing. Leo was content; his children were happy and healthy, his brothers were happy and unharmed, and his family was together, including their human friends.

_~Later… But How Much?~_

"Daddy!" The shriek echoed through the lair. Four adult turtles were instantly in the nursery, though technically "Daddy" was Leo.

Kiziah was pointing at Alexander. "He getting out." Alexander had frozen, half-way suspended over the railing of his crib.

"Alexander!" Leo scolded, picking up his son and putting him back in the crib. "You've been told and told to stay in the crib. You need your nap, and we need our training time." Raph, Don, and Mikey let Leo deal with the boy and went back to the dojo.

"I was hungry," the young boy said defensively. "It's boring here. _She's_ boring."

"Am not!" Kiziah yelled. Though she had spoken her first word long after Alexander, she was not quiet.

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Children, enough!" Leo shook his head slightly. "Kiziah is your sister, Alexander. You should be nice to her."

"She's boring," Alexander protested faintly. "She can't even fly!"

"And you cannot walk, little one." Leo placed Alexander into his crib. "We don't judge by one someone looks like, or what they cannot do. Your Uncle Mikey can't speak, but that does not me we love him any less."

"But…" Alexander grumped. Kiziah stuck her tongue out at him and he pointed an accusatory finger. "Daddy, she's being mean to me!"

"Kiziah, that's not polite. Please apologize." Leo rubbed his temples slightly; for the past few weeks, Kiziah and Alexander had been nonstop in their chattering and namecalling.

"Sorry." Kiziah didn't sound very contrite, but Leo let it slide.

"Now, please just entertain yourselves for a little while longer. We need to get our training done, and then we will come get you. Lil' Sis will watch you."

"Can't we come?" Alexander asked, making big eyes at his father through the roof on his crib. "Please?" Kiziah joined in the pleading.

"No. Your training will begin soon enough." Leo left them in the capable hooves of Lil' Sis and went back to the dojo. Alexander and Kiziah wanted to start training badly. They did not know what their father and uncles did in the mysterious room that was always locked, but they knew it was exciting.

It scared him. His babies were growing up, and it had only been a couple of months. He couldn't remember the days individually; they just streamed together into a blur of happiness, love, and contentment. His brothers had been taking turns on nightly patrols, always leaving two at home to guard the family. They were extremely careful not to be seen, of course.

After the adults finished training, Mikey and Leo went to take the toddlers to the kitchen for a meal. Alexander was still pouting about not being allowed to train, and Kiziah was telling Leo all about what she thought they were doing in that room. Her theories ranged from meditating – which she and Alexander had watched Leo and Master Splinter do a few times, and found it incredibly boring – to painting a new room for her.

Kiziah was too old to sleep in the same room as her brother, she insisted. She wanted privacy. For what, she couldn't tell her family, but Kiziah wanted it. It was very important in the TV shows she got to watch for one hour every day. Once they had started speaking, Leo had let them watch a little TV each day, to acquaint them with human customs and mannerisms.

Alexaner had decided he loved Spongebob Squarepants the most, while Kiziah was particular to Fairly Odd Parents and Danny Phantom. Mikey loved it all, and would sit and watch with his niece and nephew whenever he had the chance.

However, Mikey's artwork posted on the site April had shown him had attracted a lot of attention. His commissions were selling for a good price, enough to keep their family comfortable and even buy Donnie some upgraded equipment. Master Splinter was gifted an exotic range of teas from around the world. Mikey had made a gift of a new motorcycle to Raph, and he bought Leo a complete set of Japanese history books. Mikey was happy to be able to contribute to the family in a tangible way.

Don walked into the kitchen and motioned for Leo to come with him. Leaving Kiziah in her high chair, the eldest followed the braniac out.

"I've been thinking about starting them in lessons," Don confided to Leo outside. "They're ready, and they're bored. Their little minds need stimulation."

Leo hummed slightly. "I agree. What do you want to start with?"

"Counting. ABCs. The kindergarten stuff."

"They're barely six months old!" Leo protested.

"They're as intelligent as a five-year-old human," Don pointed out. "They need to be doing something. We stopped Alex from getting out of his crib this time, but what about next time? They need to do something."

"I know. We'll start tomorrow."

Leo nodded and they went back to their chores. Mikey and Leo gave the babies baths, and Don went back to his work on a smartphone. Raph was probably reading in his room; Leo couldn't hear the TV, and the hothead wasn't working out. Life was calm – good. But Leo knew they would have to return to the surface and their patrols soon.


	2. Everyday Princess

_More. Yay! Slightly smaller chapter this time, just some filler with a few important events. Please note: I'm going to try to write more, hm, academically? Be wary!_

_Disclaimer: Don't own. _

**Chapter 2: Everyday Princess**

"Okay, ready?" Leo grinned to himself. Ever since an ad for Victoria's Secret had shown on Danny Phantom-time, his daughter had been inventing new clothing for herself. She had had some good ideas, and even – in one of her more generous moments – made Leo a jacket that had zip-up slits that would let his wings through and then zip up around them. Even at only seven months old, she was very precocious. Don helped her sew everything, though; her hands were still clumsy.

"Ready," he called back. The whole family was sitting down in the living room, even Alexander. Kiziah was showing off her weeks' worth of "fashion." She declared, loudly and often, that she wanted to develop fashionable clothing for her family.

Mikey had bought her subscriptions to Vogue, People, and other popular magazines so she could look at the current trends. Leo didn't approve of some of the scandalous stories, but since Kiziah was hardly reading yet, he wasn't too worried yet. She just loved the pictures.

Kiziah walked out, slowly. She had read many tips about "catwalk-walking" in one of her magazines and swished her hips, put her feet in line, and kept her chin up and eyes ahead. She stopped and twirled as Mikey hummed his approval. She was sporting a very pale cream dress with matching cream slippers. It accented her dark skin. A light green sash wound around her shoulders to make her green eyes pop.

"Beautiful," Leo commented, grinning. Kiziah giggled and executed a slightly wobbly curtsy.

"Uncle Don helped me put in pockets, too." She showed them the deep pockets. "Perfect for my shruikin!"

"Ya don't get those yet," Raph reminded her gruffly.

She snorted softly at him. "I will some day! A lady has to be protected. And I want a sharp fan, like they have in those stories…"

"We'll see," Leo temporized. "Give us a twirl, Kiziah."

Kiziah went on her tippy toes and twirled around. The cream dress flowed out smoothly and settled around her ankles again when she stopped. Don chuckled and clapped.

"You have a gift, my child," Splinter said warmly.

Mikey held up a notepad with his comment: _Now we can fight crime in fashion!_

Raph rolled his eyes. "I ain't wearing clothes…"

"Being naked doesn't make you scary, Uncle Raph," Kiziah said seriously.

The family was silent a moment before everyone, except Raph, Alexander, and Splinter, burst out into laughter. Leo guffawed deeply, holding his plastron. Mikey was on the floor, and Don was about to join him.

"Hmph," Raph grumped, but his eyes were laughing. "I've never needed clothing for the past twenty years."

"That's 'cause you never had anyone make it for you!" Kiziah insisted. "I'll make you a red hat…" Kiziah started muttering to herself. Leo gave in and dropped to the floor next to Mike and Don. The idea of Raph wearing a matching set of hat, shirt, pants, and gloves – for when it got cold – was almost too much for him to bear.

"My child, do you have other pieces to show us?" Splinter asked as his three sons were trying to control themselves. Kiziah nodded and ran back to her room. Alexander and she shared the room, technically, but the little man had taken to sleeping with Leo, more often than not. The eldest didn't mind, but knew his children would need their own rooms soon.

Leo finally dragged himself back into his seat. Don and Mikey managed to get back on the couch and lean on each other, still giggling every so often.

"Here I come!" Kiziah announced. Leo motioned for Don and Mikey to be quiet again; they stifled their mirth and watched adoringly as the little girl came back out. This time, she was wearing what _looked_ like a second skin, black in color. Only a small strip for her eyes showed; the material drank in the light, making Kiziah look like a shadow.

"I found this stuff in the closet," Kiziah explained when the elder turtles stared at her. Raph had almost leapt for his Sais when the red emblem on her chest was made visible.

Leo smacked his forehead. "It's a Foot's gear." He had tensed at the sight of it as well, though he knew no Foot soldier would be as short as his daughter.

"Foot?" Kiziah and Alexander tilted their heads at their father. Leo sighed.

"Kiziah, please go take that off and put it back where you found it. It is not to be used."

"What is it?" she asked, not budging.

"It's the costume of a very dangerous group of people," Don explained. "Someday, we'll tell you about them. For now, if you find more of that, please don't use it. We can get you plenty of other fabrics."

"But this is so cool… Look." She pulled on it and it stretched out with her hands. "It's so flexible! And it breathes! And I swear it doesn't show stains."

Raph muttered something under his breath; Leo shot him a dark look and then turned back to Kiziah. "Don't question this, Kiziah. Just go put it away."

"I want one!" Alexander insisted as Kiziah left, pouting.

"No," his uncles, father, and grandfather all said at once. Alexander stared at them, curious.

"It is a tale for when you are older," Leo said firmly. "I think it's time for school."

Alexander groaned, but Kiziah came shooting out of her room and ran into the "school room" that had been made of the old nursery. Don sighed and groaned as he stood.

"We're getting too cooped up," he muttered.

Leo snorted. He had felt it recently, too; too little running, too much being in the lair. They needed fresh air, a long run over the rooftops, and more. But they had the two babies to protect.

Mikey retired to his room to work on his art commissions. He had started charging more because he was getting bogged down, but he was still working at least 50 hours a week on his art. He improved daily, and they had started seeing his artwork in advertisements and billboards when they ventured by twos above ground.

Leo and Raph glanced at each other and went to the dojo. The two eldest had tried to work out together individually every day; it helped their feelings of entrapment. When they were exhausted and sweating, they couldn't think about going up top with anything but a faint longing.

_~Somewhere else… Close~_

"I trust you will not fail me this time," his voice hissed. The man squeaked; Saki took this for agreement and dropped the human. "Find them."

"Yes, sir." The Foot commander rubbed a hand over his throat and tried not to breathe in the foul smell of the sewers. "We have searched constantly, but there has been no sign of the terrapins."

"I do not want excuses; I want results!" Saki thundered. The soldier bowed and retreated into the tunnel. His force of twenty ninjas followed closely; Saki dragged his metal talons across the wall of the sewer. _Those damn turtles are becoming more work than they are worth,_ he growled to himself.

His communicator suddenly crackled into life. The signals belowground were faint, but he made out a few words: "Turtle… sign… close…"

The radio cut out and Saki growled. He didn't even know which team had found a sign of the turtles, or even if that had been what they were talking about. The Japanese overlord was being defeated by mere concrete. The sewers themselves were a layer of protection around his enemies.

"Sir!" The shout came from up the tunnel. "We've found signs of the turtles!"

Sake splashed through the dark chunky water. His mask filtered the air, but he knew his armor would be ruined from the knees down. His ninjas all required more uniforms every day than he cared to think about. He had hired extra Laundromats to do the cleaning, but those sworn to secrecy were hard to make.

The recent uprising of the janitorial team had also added to his recent headaches; they were tired of cleaning sewer muck, they insisted. Saki had them all executed in front of the new janitorial team. He just hoped the cooks wouldn't get ideas next. Discipline had been lacking under Karai's care; she was suffering for it now, being head scout in the sewers, but Saki had to deal with the staff and underlings being too big for their britches.

_The Shredder, being stood up to by cleaning ladies… Michelangelo would have a field day with that one,_ Saki thought to himself. He admitted that Michelangelo's jokes enraged him, often, but even he could chuckle at the absurdity of that one. _Well, the turtle would if he could speak it…_ Thinking of the specimen's ruined voice box made him angry again. He had told Bishop not to maim the turtles, but the scientist, too, had betrayed him.

_No one is loyal any more. Honor is not what it once was,_ Saki mused as he joined the group of ninjas who had found the track. There was only one, and it was very faint. They were searching for more sign, though. He waited by the track.

Another shout, further down the tunnel. He followed it; there was an even fainter track. It could easily have been that of an object falling, or a rat fighting over scraps, but it would have to do. Saki growled and headed back for the surface, leaving his ninjas to discover more sign.

_The cooks had better have dinner ready,_ Saki growled. He punched into his communicator and ordered the ninja in charge back at base, coordinating teams, to tell the cooks to prepare him something with turtle in it. Preferably brightly colored.

_~And elsewhere again~_

Alex blinked as she woke. She couldn't tell what had awakened her, but she was wide awake – and by the feel of it, not going to bed any time soon. Alex sighed and got up, wincing as she banged her head again on the bunk above hers. She had a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, and worked at the local grocer's down the street to pay her rent and food. Her bunk bed had been a lucky thrift store find; she stored her important documents up top, and slept on the lower bunk.

A tiny desk was crammed into a corner, covered with newspaper clippings about criminal activities and – specifically – those that had been stopped by up to 4 things. Some reports indicated they were undercover cops, others seemed to think they were green-skinned aliens, and others disagreed with everything and said the criminals had made it all up.

Her itty-bitty fridge and microwave sat next to the desk alongside a trashcan. The room was really a closet; the bed had to be taken apart to get in. Thankfully, the man working in the thrift shop had helped her get it here in his car and then helped her move it in. Alex remembered him; a dashing young man, with the square chin that seems only available in movies. His brown hair was short, his eyes a deep blue, and he was just a little taller than her.

Suddenly, Alex realized her door was open and blinked in fear. She locked the door before going to bed every night. Grabbing a heavy glass bottle of juice from the top of the fridge/microwave combo, she stared into the dark room.

Inching sideways, Alex groped for the light switch. She was partially blinded, but she saw the shadow that didn't flee when the light came on. It came towards her; she yelled and brought the glass jar down. It broke in her hand, drenching her and her assailant. Alex gasped and jerked back through the open door, running into the thin railing. It kept her from falling eleven stories, at least.

The shadow was on the ground, even darker with the soaked black clothing it was wearing. It was man-shaped, but covered head to toe in black. She screamed as he started standing up.

"What's goin' on out here?" Her neighbor, a great big bear of a man who barely fit through his door in his own apartment, twice the size of hers, poked his head out of his door.

Alex ran towards him and forced her way into his apartment, fueled by terror. He let her in and closed and locked the door behind them.

"I don't know," she sobbed, suddenly more scared than she had ever been, even when Leonardo had been attacking her helicopter. "That man was in my room and… and I smashed a juice bottle on him…"

"I'll call the cops." Alex sat down without being asked. The man spoke quickly to the woman on the other end of the 911 call and the hung up. "They're on their way. Ya okay?"

"I… I think so… I'm shaking…"

"And bleedin'." He smiled gently and handed her a roll of paper towels. "Sorry Ah don' have ah firs' aid kit. This'll have t' do."

"Thank you…?" Alex grabbed a fistful of paper towels in both hands. They had just started to hurt.

"Big John," he said, grinning.

She returned the smile tentatively. "I'm Alex."

"Lovely t' meetcha. Y' can stay 'ere, course, 'til the police get here. Got anything valuable in 'ere?"

She shook her head. "I don't have anything valuable at all."

"Good. Keeps ya from getting big."

Alex tilted her head in confusion but didn't ask. Big John sat down on the bed.

They sat in silence, neither comfortable nor uncomfortable, until they heard voices outside. Big John got up and checked the door; he motioned for Alex to follow him out. Two policemen were standing outside her door, which was still ajar, just putting away their guns.

"Ma'am, he's gone now. Do you know what he looked like?" One approached her carefully, keeping an eye on Big John. This wasn't the best of neighborhoods, and Big John certainly looked thug-ish.

"He was all in black… I smashed him with a glass bottle. My hands are bleeding."

"We'll call a paramedic if you want, or we can take you to a hospital."

"Uh, no thanks… I'll take care of it. They're not bad." Alex didn't have the money to pay for either, and she didn't want to remember the fear of being attacked.

"If you insist, ma'am. We'll need to know everything." Alex told them her tale; they took notes, poked around in her room, took pictures of the broken bottle, and left. Big John wished her a good night and disappeared into his room. She cleaned up the spilled juice, closed and locked her door, and set about making a cup of hot cocoa to calm her nerves.

_It must have been a random burglary… But why here? We're eleven stories up, in a poor neighborhood…_ It made no sense to her, but she resolved not to worry about it. She would buy a chain lock like Big John had when she went to work, she decided. Checking her door again, Alex finally felt ready to fall asleep again. She would have to get up in another hour for work, but she wanted at least a little sleep.

Falling into the not-as-smelly-as-it-had-been mattress and pulling the blankets around her, Alex shivered. It took hours, it felt, to finally fall asleep. By the time she was asleep, it felts like seconds before her alarm buzzed, calling her to a shower in the communal bathroom and work.


	3. Discipline

_Sorry for the delay! I am very busy with college. _

**Chapter 3: **

Leo sighed and rotated his wings. He could hear the screeching across the lair; Kiziah was yelling at Alexander again. Leo caught the words "torn" and "meanie" as he stood, and Raph's deeper voice commanding Kiziah to be quiet.

He found Kiziah glaring at Alexander, who was hiding up on a pipe a dozen feet above his head. She clutched fabric in one hand and her other was crunched into a fist. Raph let Leo take over.

Alexander looked bored, but once he spotted Leo he looked mulishly apologetic. Leo beckoned; Alexander floated down to ground level. Kiziah lunged for him, but Leo caught her in one arm.

"Now, what's this about?" he asked. Raph and Don went back to their business, and Mikey was probably zoning out to loud music upstairs. Otherwise, he would have been first on the scene.

"He torn my new dress," Kiziah whined, holding up the bunched fabric. Leo noticed a small rip in the seam.

"I just wanted to see it!" Alexander protested. "It's stupid anyway."

"Is not!" Kiziah screamed.

Leo rubbed his temples with his free hand. "Alexander, apologize. You know that you must ask for permission before grabbing something." Alexander muttered and looked at his toes. Leo cleared his throat; the pale child glared at his father and then said his apology louder. "Kiziah, next time, screaming doesn't help. Come get one of the adults."

"But he was being mean," she pouted.

"Let us handle it. Now, can you fix the rip?"

"Yeah," she said grumpily, crossing her arms. "All by myself."

"Good." He patted her on the head and motioned for her to take her work back to her room. Then he turned on Alexander.

"Alexander, you know better than to rip your sister's clothing."

"Just 'cause she has to wear it…" It had been a very difficult talk with Alexander and Kiziah. Kiziah wore the clothing because she liked it, and insisted everyone else should, too; no one was naked on TV, she explained. Leo and his brothers couldn't get used to it, and told her that they didn't need to.

Alexander had been her next victim; Leo had to rescue the brother from his sister's dress-up schemes, often played when Alexander had just finished sunbathing with his father and therefore less able to escape.

"She likes to. You don't want to, but remember – you like training, but she doesn't as much. You have different interests."

Alexander grumbled and finally went back to his puzzle on the floor. Leo sighed and went to the kitchen to fix himself a mug of tea. Ever since Kiziah and Alexander had started learning about human culture, Kiziah had been obsessed with clothing, makeup, and hair styles. No one in the family but Splinter had hair, though, and she couldn't braid Splinter's fur.

As Leo sat at the table, holding the mug of the tea, he felt a pair of hands rubbing his shoulders. He grinned and relaxed. "Thanks, Mikey." His little brother hummed happily behind him.

Leo was nodding off just as Don raced in; Leo shot to his feet at the worry in his brother's posture. "Foot! In the tunnel off the fifth hot spot."

Leo cringed. That was close; way too close for his liking. "Get Raph and gather weapons." Don shot out the door. The leader turned to Mikey. "Mikey, you need to get the escape pod ready. Get Kiziah and Alexander in it, and Splinter. Then come back out and meet us."

Raph and Don appeared; Leo gathered his swords from Raph and put them on carefully. Mikey gathered the children, despite their protests, and shuffled them into the nursery with the escape route.

"What about Lil' Sis?" Raph growled. The horse whinnied quietly and nodded her head several times quickly. "She can't fit through there."

Leo thought quickly. "We'll split up." His brothers growled their displeasure at the thought. "I know, I don't like it either. Raph, you and Don stay with Mike and the kids. They need your protection. I'll get Lil' Sis out through the elevator."

"Why can't I?" Raph insisted.

"If something goes wrong, I can fly her out," Leo said grimly. Don shook his head.

"If you do that, Leo, your wings may never recover!"

"It'll be fine. Just do as I say."

Raph glared at Leo, but he couldn't offer any alternative. The pipes were too narrow and slippery to risk riding Lil' Sis out to an entrance she could get through. Leo was right – but he hated to split up like that, especially since it had to tear Leo apart to leave his kids.

Don checked a computer monitor and glanced at Leo. "They're getting closer…"

"They've found us," Leo muttered. He swore; Raph's eyeridge bounced up, startled. "Mikey! Hurry it up!" There was no answer, but Leo hoped Kiziah and Alexander weren't giving his brother too hard a time. Leo wanted desperately to go help, to hold his children again – just in case – but he knew he had to slow down the Foot if they discovered the door.

Splinter emerged from his room, a small pack in his hands. "My sons." The three adults turned to him. "We will meet at the farm." Leo bowed; Raph and Don followed a second later. Their master tapped his way to the nursery.

"Don, go help Mikey if you can." Don scurried off quickly; Leo turned to Raph and Lil' Sis.

"I don' like it," Raph informed him.

"I know. Neither do I. Keep them safe, Raph." A silent message passed between them, and Raph nodded. Lil' Sis snorted, feeling the tension. Leo grabbed her halter as Raph turned and followed Don to keep her from following him. "Shhh, girl. We have to hold them off for a little while." He glanced at the monitor; a stream of black figures paraded past it in a mockery of a parade. "We have to fight." Lil' Sis pawed the ground at that word, showing off her strength. Raph had recently groomed her; her coat shone in the light.

He heard the rumbling under his feet that meant the escape pod was powering up. _Finally,_ he thought to himself. _Be safe, guys._ He knew Kiziah would be asking where he was; Alexander would be trying to see what was going on, and getting in the way.

A noise outside the door brought his attention back to his own situation. It would be a few minutes before the escape pod could move; it had to warm up, or something like that. He and Lil' Sis had to distract the Foot long enough for their family to escape.

Leo keyed the elevator and punched in a code to keep it at the ground level, open. He and Lil' Sis could back themselves into it once the pod got away and escape to the surface. Leo winced at the thought; it was just about dusk, so humans would still be around… And a Friesian in the middle of New York was not quite inconspicuous, not to mention his own figure.

The noises continued outside; Leo listened for the grinding noise that meant the door was opening. Don had made the hinges make noise when they moved so the family had another layer of defense – and so Raph couldn't sneak out at night.

_Of course, if they just blow it all to pieces…._ Leo sighed to himself and looked around. The lair had been trashed by their parties, trashed by fake fights, and trashed by the boys when Splinter was away, but… Letting it get destroyed by the Foot was just rude.

He wanted to lead the Foot on a chase through the sewers, but several things stopped him. One, Lil' Sis couldn't run in the tunnels quickly. Two, the ninjas might still search around the entrance of the lair and find the door mechanism. Finally, he wasn't sure he could outrun them – he was fast, sure, but his wings made him slower, especially because he had to be careful not to snag them on pipes that his shell would resist.

Suddenly, the door ground its way open; Leo groaned softly. He hadn't expected them to find the lever that fast. The Foot were clearly startled; they milled about in the doorway for a second. Leo drew his swords and dove forward; if he could catch them off their guard, he might stand a chance at taking down more of them before getting out.

Lil' Sis whinnied her battle cry and clopped after him, her hooves ready to do damage. Leo waded into the press, careful not to let himself be surrounded. His swords deflected other swords, nunchucks, a Sai or two, and countless Shruiken. In the doorway, the ninjas were forced into a bottle neck, giving him an advantage.

He hissed in pain as a line of fire down his arm alerted him to an injury. The ninja whose katana had sliced into his arm froze in amazement; Leo took the opening and decapitated him.

Leo didn't pull his blows like he usually did; the dead began piling up. He was careful not to slip on them, but they were becoming a sticky mess that both helped and hindered him.

An order was barked; the black shadows melted back from the doorway. Leo, unwilling to give up his advantage, let them retreat; Lil' Sis snorted over his shoulder, eyeballing the Foot soldiers. She hadn't been able to use her hooves yet, since Leo was blocking the doorway, but she wanted to; Leo grinned slightly.

Shredder appeared in the gloom outside the doorway; Leo glared at him. He hadn't expected the overlord to be down here; it certainly put a cramp in his plans. Lil' Sis snorted at the metal armor that walked itself.

"Leonardo. But where is your hideous mockery of a family?" Leo tilted his head slightly, but didn't rise to the bait. He stayed in the doorway, daring Shredder to come at him. Suddenly, the ground under his feet shifted; Leo grinned, tossing his head slightly in relief. The pod was on its way out to open water.

Lil' Sis shifted behind him; Leo signaled her with his tail, and she drifted backwards. Shredder saw what Leo was planning to do and launched forward; Leo threw himself backwards, hitting the emergency door control. It snapped shut, nearly catching Leo's tail; he pulled it out of the way just in time and breathed a sigh of relief. He could hear Shredder pounding on it from the other side.

"Follow," he order Lil' Sis, sheathing his katanas. She trotted with him into the elevator; he keyed in the code to take them to the surface and held his good hand over his bleeding arm. When the door opened, Leo checked to be sure that they were alone in the dark warehouse before exiting. Lil' Sis followed silently and they crossed to the garage door.

"I hope you can understand this," Leo muttered to Lil' Sis. "Follow me." Lil' Sis nodded her head several times, pawing at the ground. Leo lifted his wings and opened the door silently. They exited quietly and Leo took off; Lil' Sis trotted after the quiet sound of his wings flapping above her. Leo carefully increased their speed into a lope he though Lil' Sis would be able to manage easily for the hours it would take to get to the farm. He could have been there faster on his own, but the horse was slower.

_~Elsewhere~_

Shredder swore and punched the concrete. His ninjas had pried the door open, but a search of the lair revealed that his enemies had escaped. What looked like a medical lab was in ruins; every computer drive had been shoved into a microwave, every CD in a toaster, and each device destroyed. Ninjas reported what looked like eight bedrooms; one was obviously the rat's.

Four on the upper level were the adult turtles'; the Foot soldiers exploring them had brought out the few possessions in them, easily identified as one turtle's or another's. However, two bedrooms on the lower floor puzzled them; one was filled with pictures of dragons and bats and birds, taped to the walls. The other had dresses, skirts, pants, shirts, and all sorts of clothing in children's sizes hanging on the walls, next to pictures of outfits like them.

_Did the eggs make it to term?_ Shredder wondered, eyeing the clothing in the second room. It was well made; he recognized a few of the designs from the People magazine he found on his desk every morning. _If so, the baby mutants are growing up at a very fast rate._

A Foot soldier was helping himself to the fridge when Shredder entered the kitchen; it was very clean. The mug collection was almost all chipped and nothing matched; the same went for the plates and other dishes. The TV screens in the living room were intact; Shredder had a group pull them down and destroy them. They then shredded everything they could find, from the pillows in the rat's room to the clothing in the unknown room. Heaping everything together, a Foot soldier lit the pile on fire as Shredder punched numbers into the elevator.

"Sir?" A man came up at his elbow; Saki turned to him. "I will hack into the controls, if you like."

"Do it. We need to find out where this goes," Shredder commanded. The lair was beginning to fill with smoke. In less than a minute, the elevator doors dinged and opened; Shredder stepped in, cautious for traps, and motioned for the elevator to be sent up. The doors closed and the lift rose silently. Saki was impressed, overall; he had respected his enemies, but this elevator was beyond what he had thought Donatello capable of.

The garage he emerged into was dusty, the exact opposite of the lair downstairs. The elevator descended and Shredder poked around. He recognized the truck that had been used to ambush his Foot soldiers that one time downtown; the helicopter that had stormed his tower. All the big gear was here, it seemed.

A group of Foot soldiers emerged from the elevator; Saki set them to destroying everything they could find. He then went to find any tracks. He found faint horse tracks, heading north, but lost them quickly. According the Alex, the horse was Raphael's, a pet picked up on the way to Brazil as a foal. She had grown, and was clearly intelligent enough to be rescued by the mutants.

Saki looked north, fury bubbling under a calm exterior. His adversaries had slipped through his grasp again, and he didn't know where they could be going. He would double the patrol in the city, and keep a guard squad posted at the garage at all times.


	4. Reunion

**Chapter 4: Reunion**

Leo winced; his arm was throbbing, and he was dripping blood through the bandage. Lil' Sis was trotting below; he kept her in careful sight. They were cutting across the countryside; it had taken some very tricky maneuvering to get them out of the city without being seen.

However, the blood loss was telling on Leo's strength; he estimated that they were almost half-way to the farm but dawn was coming. Lil' Sis had had to slow down once true night had fallen, or else they might have been closer to the farm.

Leo found Lil' Sis and touched down next to her. She whinnied in concern when she smelled the blood on him. Leo smiled slightly and patted her neck. "We need a rest," he said. "We'll get there tomorrow night."

Leo found a secluded spot in the woods they had been traveling through and built a small fire. He laid his katana tip in the heat of the flame and carefully unwound the blood-soaked bandage from his arm. Lil' Sis stood across the fire from him and dozed. Leo watched her for a few seconds while he waited for the katana tip to heat up until it turned red.

He leaned forward and picked up the sword before carefully pressing the glowing metal to his arm. He hissed in pain as the wound seared; the smell of burning flesh and blood assaulted his nostrils. After a few seconds, Leo pulled the sword away and put it back into the fire to clean the blade. He carefully cleaned his arm with the last of his clean cloth belt.

He then used the belt to tie his arm carefully to his chest and leaned back on the tree. Lil' Sis snored quietly across from Leo; the turtle dropped off to a light doze.

_~Elsewhere~_

Don and Raph rubbed their temples simultaneously. Mikey was doing his best to calm Kiziah down, but both children were scared and missed Leo. Alexander was clinging to his seat while Kiziah cried into Mikey's shoulder. They had arrived at the farm house; Splinter was in the kitchen making tea and some warm milk for the kids.

The truck was parked in the barn; Raph had called Casey and April and told them to take an emergency vacation, just in case the Foot found the pictures of their human friends in the lair. Both agreed to come to the farm house as soon as they could.

Don was expecting Leo and Lil' Sis to arrive in a few hours, giving a little leeway for having to slow down for Lil' Sis at dark night. However, he was still worried when dawn came without Leo and Lil' Sis, and figured they had to have hunkered down for the night. He would have done the same, and told his brothers and Master Splinter they would worry if the pair didn't show up in 24 hours, since Leo was likely to wait until the cover of darkness to move.

In the meantime, Kiziah and Alexander were being difficult. Kiziah missed her clothing and sewing machine; Alexander missed his room. Both missed Leo terribly. Mikey and Don played games with them all day while Raph fixed up a leaking pipe and then helped Casey and April move in. Master Splinter mostly stayed in his room.

April joined Mike and Don in distracting the toddlers with games of hide and seek, tag, and Monopoly. She had had the foresight to bring more board games with her, and had stopped to pick up groceries on the way, so Mikey prepared a good lunch for all of them.

Night fell; with it, Kiziah and Alexander began crying again. They hadn't ever gone to bed without Leo tucking them in, and insisted on waiting up for their father. April rocked Kiziah in the rocking chair in front of the TV in a bedroom; Alexander and Raph practiced summersaults in the living room.

Don and Mikey were on the roof, watching intently for any sign of Leo and Lil' Sis. Mikey spotted a shape moving through the underbrush and tapped Don's shell to get the other turtle's attention. Lil' Sis trotted out into the clearing, snorting. Mike jumped off the roof and ran to give her a hug; she nickered and rubbed her chin on his shell.

Don kept his eyes to the sky, and eventually made out a shape against the stars. It was flying slowly, and getting bigger; he stood up and waved. The shape veered towards him, overcorrected, and Leo landed in a tumble, knocking both turtles from the roof. Don caught himself and rolled out of the way as Leo came crashing down; two sickening cracks later, the eldest rolled to a halt and groaned.

"Leo?" Don asked, getting up and moving to his brother. Mikey appeared; Don motioned for him to take Lil' Sis to the barn and feed and water her before turning the eldest onto his side. He could barely see in the gloom, but he felt a rough cloth holding Leo's arm against his chest.

Mikey came back and helped Don lift the unconscious brother and heave him inside. Raph immediately saw who they were carrying and took Alexander to April. Casey rushed downstairs, followed closely by Master Splinter, as Don and Mikey gently lay Leo on his side, injured arm up, so as to not crush his injuries. The light revealed what had been hidden. Leo's right arm was sliced badly and rudely cauterized, probably by his katana tip. His left wing was snapped in two places, hanging limply. The bone on the lower break had popped through the skin and was bleeding.

"Mikey, get water boiling. Casey, I need clean towels and rags. Master Splinter, can you find a first aid kit? Or a sewing kit if that's all that's available?" Don asked politely. He unwrapped Leo's arm gently as everyone hurried off to do as he asked. Raph appeared; Don sent him out to check on Lil' Sis and asked him to look in the truck for a first aid kit as well.

Casey was the first one back, arms full of towels and washcloths. Mikey appeared with a pot of hot water and some kitchen towels as Master Splinter came in carrying a large first-aid kit. He set it down and began sorting through the contents as Mikey and Casey held Leo still while Don cleaned out the wound ever so gently. Their elder brother was pale and silent; it worried Don that he didn't groan in his sleep.

"Mikey, get a glass of water for Leo," Don ordered. He doubted the eldest had stopped long enough to drink water. The youngest disappeared quickly and then reappeared and, with Casey's help, carefully dribbled water into the eldest's mouth.

Don examined the cauterization and carefully peeled back the dead skin where he could. He noticed the cut was long and shallow, and washed it gently. The water turned a light pink, and he had Mikey replace it. Master Splinter helped Don sew up the gash with his nimbler fingers and then left to wash the blood from his fur. Satisfied that the wound was clean and would only need time to heal, Don ordered Casey and Mikey to gently lower Leo onto his plastron, being careful not to squish his arm underneath him.

Don examined the wing breaks; the lower one was still bleeding sluggishly. Someone had put a towel under it so there wasn't blood on the carpet, but the amount of blood on the towel worried Don. Raph walked in and the braniac told him to drink lots of water, go to the bathroom, and then get ready to give Leo some blood. It was risky, since their blood types were so different, but Don had to try it.

Casey broke up an old chair to make two splints for Leo's wing and held the bone straight while Don carefully splinted his brother. The hardest part was putting the bone that had broken free of the surface back under the skin and then sewing up the gash and having to move the bones until they realigned. Once Leo was patched up, Don started a gravity-fed IV drip from Raph to Leo and then told Mikey to find something that could be liquefied to feed to the eldest.

After a few minutes of the slow feed, Don let Raph go lie down and put a Band-aid over the pinprick in Leo's arm. Casey had volunteered to help April with the children; from the sounds upstairs, it seemed he was giving them piggy-back rides. Mikey was sitting next to Leo, clutching a pillow and watching the leader intensely.

Don rubbed his eyes and realized he was smearing blood on himself. With a grimace, he went to take a shower. It had been a long night – glancing at the clock, he saw that it was nearly midnight. He hoped that Casey and April could keep the children quiet so Leo could rest longer, but knew that once morning came, the eldest was going to have to wake up so Don could check for any issues from dehydration. He would also have to let Kiziah and Alexander see their father, but would have to keep them from jumping all over him.

Sighing as the warm water eased the tension in this shoulders, Don leaned against the shower wall. He knew Leo wasn't in serious danger, but seeing his brother bloody again… It brought back some bad memories.

Don turned his mind to another problem, though it was hopeless. _How did the Foot find us? _He wondered, as he had since the escape pod had coasted out of harm's way and into the open ocean, what had tipped them off. He and his brothers had been _very_ careful to erase their footprints. And the lever to open the door was very well hidden.

The braniac sighed. He didn't want to worry about these things. His life's work had been destroyed, pretty much; all his data was backed up online, sure, but his gadgets, the ShellCycle, the helicopter… He had put the self-destruct sequence in for all of them. His present for Leo... Now he'd have to begin all over again. He was glad they were safe, but the Foot had interrupted at a terrible moment.

_At least we're alive,_ he admonished himself. _That's something. And Leo will be fine. _Still, Don couldn't help but quail at the thought of reinventing all those knick knacks he and his brothers relied upon – the ShellCells, for instance. It had taken years of experimenting to develop a signal that could travel well both on the surface and underground in a container that was waterproof, offered video capabilities, tracking both on the surface and underground, and was small enough to be carried around. His prototypes had been the size of an old computer.

Don was stepping out of the shower when urgent knocking made his hurry to open the door. He nearly slipped in the puddle of water and yanked the door open. Mikey beckoned for him to follow and hurried back down to the living room with Don on his heels.

Leo was awake, groggily looking around. Raph was speaking softly to him; Don knelt by his side. "How're you feeling, Leo?"

"M'fine…" Leo murmured, his eyelids falling and rising to his breathing. "Water?" Mikey went into the kitchen. "Lil' Sis?" Raph assured him that the mare was safely in her stall, wrapped in blankets with plenty to eat and drink.

Mikey helped Leo drink as Don explained why the eldest was on his side, about the sutures in his arm and wing. Leo winced and Don asked Mike to bring him some pain pills. It was only Ibuprofen, but it would have to do.

Leo closed his eyes again as the Ibuprofen took effect. Mikey was holding his good hand, and Raph was watching him carefully. Don got Leo a warm cup of tea and stressed the importance of rehydration. Leo told them about Shredder and the attack, haltingly, before dropping off to sleep again. Mikey stayed with him as Raph and Don moved upstairs to get the children to bed.

Alexander and Kiziah demanded to know what was happening. Don and Raph told them to sleep and that they would explain in the morning. Casey and April took a well-deserved break to sleep and the turtles took over watching the children until they, too, slept.

Downstairs, Mikey curled up on the arm chair, holding Leo's good hand as he drifted off to sleep.


	5. Facing the Truth

**Chapter 5: Facing the Truth**

Leo woke slowly, groggily. He groaned softly as feeling returned to his arm and pain lanced up to his shoulder and through his wing. He could also feel a headache coming on as he opened his eyes slightly. A green shape was cuddled into the chair right next to him; he recognized Mikey and gently released his hand from his brother's grip. Mike shifted and hummed in his sleep as Leo sat up carefully.

Blood rushed into his head and he groaned softly. His temples pounded and he sat still for a moment in order to slow the rushing. He heard a soft snore behind him and turned slowly; Raph was sleeping in a chair near the door, head tilted to one side and mouth open.

Leo carefully levered himself to his feet and headed for the kitchen. The house was quiet, but his head was not. Setting the kettle on to boil, Leo surveyed the choices. He opted for green tea with a little bit of mint leaf steeped into the brew.

As the water heated up, Leo leaned on the counter. He kept his bad arm close to his chest and made sure not to move his wings. He heard a noise from the living room and suddenly Mikey appeared in the doorway.

"Hey Mikey," Leo whispered. He winced as his headache made his whisper sound like a shout. Mikey smiled and left. Leo poured himself tea and was letting it steep when his little brother returned with the Ibuprofen. Gratefully, Leo downed three pills with a swig of tea.

Mikey got himself some yogurt and offered his big brother some as well. Leo accepted it happily and quickly gulped it down with his tea. Raph appeared in the doorway and smiled to see his brother awake.

"Mornin', Leo," Raph grunted. "How's the wing?"

"It's fine," Leo said quietly. "It will heal. How are the kids?"

"They miss ya. I'm su'prised they're still asleep. They're gonna wanna see you as soon as they wake up, yanno." Leo smiled slightly.

"I've missed them. Are April and Casey here?"

"Yea, prolly still asleep. They've been watching the littles." Leo smiled slightly. He would have to remember to thank them.

Don appeared in the doorway, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Raph chuckled at his brother and turned the coffee pot on with a click; Don recognized the sound and smiled his thanks. He spotted Leo and frowned at the eldest.

"You should be in bed."

"I was thirsty," Leo insisted meekly.

"As soon as you finish that, go back to bed," Don ordered.

"Yes, Mother." Leo grinned.

"I'm serious, Leo," Don grumbled.

Leo smiled at Don and turned to Raph. "How's Lil' Sis?"

"She's good. Tired. Hopefully she slept all night."

Leo nodded. "It was difficult to get out of the city unseen," Leo admitted. "We only took a short break getting here."

"Yeah, ya had us worried there fer a while." Mikey nodded, gently patting Leo's good shoulder.

"Sorry."

"Not your fault," Donny told him.

"What I wanna know is how the Foot found us," Raph grumped. "We were careful t' erase our footprints and ever'thin'."

"I don't know," Leo muttered.

"But Shredder's back in town. We need t' go back soon as we can. We know th' police can't stop 'em, and they could be doin' anythin'," Raph growled.

"It's too dangerous with the children," Leo objected. "We can't drag them into this."

"They're gonna be in it anyway," Raph told him sternly. "Ya can't keep coddlin' 'em."

Leo's eyes narrowed. Mikey took a step; rarely did their brother loose it so quickly. "Raphael…" Leo's voice was a low growl. "They are not ready to know what dangers they will face. Let them have a few innocent years."

"Yer smotherin' 'em," Raph growled back. "We always knew who and what we are; we knew there were risks out 'ere. We weren't ashamed of it. Or are ya jus' too good fer us now, with yer fancy wings and shit?" Don and Mikey looked back and forth between their brothers.

"I'm still your brother," Leo said quietly. "But I am also their father, and I don't want them forced into danger before they're ready to handle it."

"They ain't innocent, yanno. They _know_ they're different. They don't deserve t' be in th' dark."

"They're too young." Leo got up and glared at Raph. "My children and I are staying here. If you would like to try to kill the Shredder by yourself, go ahead. I suggest you try something other than cutting of his head." Leo left then; Raph curled his hand into a fist.

"You know he didn't mean that," Don told him quietly, putting his hand on Raph's shoulder. "He's scared, Raph. We can take care of ourselves, but…" Don glanced at Mikey. "Shredder would do terrible things to our niece and nephew if he captured them." Mikey winced and his hand floated to his throat.

Raph shook his head. "Ah know. But… Gods. I though' fatherhood was s'pposed t' calm a temper."

"He's exhausted."

"Ya keep make excuses fer him."

Don shrugged and patted his brother's shoulder. "I'm going to shower. Let Leo cool down for a while."

Raph was about to respond when Alexander shrieked from upstairs; all four turtles ran up the stairs and burst into the children's room. Kiziah had woken with her brother's yell and rubbed her eyes sleepily. Alexander was holding onto the side of the cobbled-together crib Raph had built.

"Daddy!" The sound pierced Leo's skull and he winced. Kiziah and Alexander both yelled for him to pick them up; Leo collected his daughter in his good arm and Alexander hugged his head.

Don pulled Raph and Mikey out of the room, knowing Leo needed a few minutes alone with his children to assure himself they were safe. They also needed bonding time, and to reassure themselves that their father hadn't abandoned them. Kiziah snuggled into Leo's plastron as Alexander demanded to know why he had left them.

Leo explained as best he could without mentioning the Foot. Alexander noticed his wing and asked how he'd been hurt as Kiziah noticed the arm and wanted to know the same thing.

"Dad's just been hurt a little," Leo said quietly. "I'll explain when you're older."

Alexander and Kiziah looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Leo raised an eyeridge at both of them.

"Daddy… We wanna know." Alexander puffed himself up and turned Leo's head to look at him; Leo was impressed by his son's strength.

"The truth," Kiziah insisted.

"When you're older," Leo said sternly. "You are too young now."

"That's what you always say!" Alexander complained. "We're old enough!"

"Alexander, enough," Leo ordered. "I've made my decision."

Kiziah pouted. "You don't trust us."

"Honey, I don't want you to be scared. Now, have you been good for your uncles?"

"You're changing the subject," Alexander said grumpily. "We wanna know why we can't be home."

"We just can't be," Leo said. That's all you need to know. I'll explain when you're older."

Kiziah waited for a moment. "We're older now," she said a few minutes later. Leo sighed.

"It's time for breakfast," he said instead.

"You're doin' it again!" Alexander grumped. He curled up on Leo's shoulder and sighed. Leo shook his head slightly and went to the kitchen with Kiziah holding onto his good arm.

He sat them down with a bowl of cereal each and ate another container of yogurt for himself. The food fortified him. "Stay here. I need to go talk to your uncles," he told Kiziah and Alexander.

He found Raph and Don working on the truck in the barn; it had a low tire. Mikey was petting Lil' Sis. Leo cleared his throat; Mikey and Don glanced up at him, but Raph ignored him. Leo waited; he was in no hurry, really, and didn't relish the thought of what he was about to do.

"What, Leo?" Raph finally grumped. He rolled out from under the truck on his shell and glared at Leo.

"I came to apologize to you, Raph. I don't want Kiziah and Alexander to grow up… But they have to, and sooner than I'd like. We can't keep running from the Shredder forever. We can buy a few months, maybe, but… We'll never be safe until the Foot are destroyed."

Raph shook his head slightly. "That's a tall order, Leo. It won't be long before Shredder expands his search outside of New York when we don't turn up there in a few months. They ain't gonna be ready fer hard training. 'Specially Kiziah. Alexander's growin' fast, but he can't hope to keep himself safe in a battle."

"I'm not dragging my kids into a war," Leo said tersely. "We will train – the four of us. Harder and longer than we have before. Once we're ready… We'll take the fight to Shredder."

Donny and Mikey stared at Leo. Raph's jaw actually slackened slightly in disbelief.

"Leo, that's crazy! 'Is buildin's a fortress. Jus' t' get _close_ would be a miracle!" Raph objected.

"I agree," Donny said immediately before Leo could answer. "It's too risky. You're still injured; we can't start training with you for at least a month. It'll be longer before your wing is healed. By then, Shredder could have expanded his search."

"We have to try." Mikey handed Leo a note; Leo read it quickly and nodded. "I know, Mikey. " He patted Mikey's shoulder and then headed back to the house. He found Alexander on the counter in the kitchen washing his and Kiziah's bowls; Kiziah was dragging her chair over to help.

Leo picked her up and held her as she splashed happily. Alexander growled at her when she flicked soap at him and took his bowl over to the towel to rub it dry. Leo helped Kiziah do the same, and then they headed for the living room.

The other adults came back in just as Leo was settling onto the couch with Kiziah in one arm and Alexander on his shoulder. Raph stole the remote before Mikey could get his hands on it and turned it to the news. Don headed into the kitchen, probably for another cup of coffee, and Mikey tickled Alexander's tail to the giggles of the boy.

"We interrupt your regular program to bring you this news," a woman said on the TV. Leo glanced at it and winced. He recognized the warehouse the helicopters were flying over; police and SWAT were moving around the rubble. "A section of the old sewer systems collapsed a couple days ago. Police have found evidence of high-tech equipment and believe it could have been a terrorist cell. Initial reports indicate that there is a living area below the wreckage. Authorities haven't determined the cause of the collapse, but there are suspicions that explosives were involved."

Kiziah and Alexander were oblivious to the news; they had never seen the outside of the lair. Leo just stared at it. He had expected the Foot to be thorough, but… This was fairly impressive. He hoped the Shredder had burned everything… Otherwise, those police might find more than they bargained for.

Raph looked at the remains of their home and sighed quietly. He had liked that place; it was large, the elevator spacious, the warehouse useful… He spotted a speck of red as the camera zoomed in and felt a pang of sorrow upon recognizing a piece of his motorcycle. Though he couldn't ride it often, he had loved that bike.

Donny came back in from the kitchen and stared at the screen. "Is that…?" he asked Leo.

"They did a number on it."

"What is it, Daddy?" Kiziah asked, peering at the screen. Leo glanced at Raph, who made a "well, go on" motion with one hand, smirking. Leo glared at him for a second before looking back at Kiziah.

"That was our home, Kiziah." The two children stared at the TV screen. Kiziah whimpered.

"But… Why?"

It was a simple question, but there was no good answer. "Bad people who don't like us destroyed our home."

"But… That's mean. All my pretty dresses and… and kits and…"

"And my pictures and my room!" Alexander protested.

"I know, kids. But we still have each other."

Kiziah sighed and snuggled into his plastron. Alexander didn't say anything. Raph just shrugged and turned the TV to another program.

Mikey curled up next to Leo on the couch and fell asleep quickly, his head resting on the eldest's good shoulder. Leo was feeling very pillow-like when Kiziah dropped off to sleep as well.


	6. In the Interlude

Mostly filler here, really; I will get to training once my poor battered Leo is all better. It's short, too. Please note: if Mikey "speaks" it means he's writing something on paper!

**Chapter 6: In the Interlude**

Don held up the card and Alexander scrunched up his nose in concentration. "Umm… School? Like, I am in school now!" Don nodded and grinned, flipping another card over for his nephew to read. Alexander looked at it carefully. "Block!"

Don chuckled and shook his head slightly. "Close, but not quite. Try again."

"But that's a circly thing," Alex protested, pointing to the "a" on the card.

"Yes, but remember what happens when you collapse the circle in on the left?"

"Oh! Black! Like I'm white, not black."

"Good, Alexander." Donny flipped over another card. "Now, what's this spell?"

"Today."

"And use it in a sentence."

"Today is Wednesday."

"Well, it's Saturday, but… Close enough, I suppose," the adult chuckled. He flipped over another card.

"Squawk!" Alexander pronounced proudly. "My sister squawks like a bird."

"I do not!" Kiziah protested from where she was coloring a dress using words as color codes. Blue for the word "Blue" and so on.

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Children," Donny interrupted. "No arguing." Kiziah stuck her tongue out at Alexander, who grumbled. "Kiziah, you're supposed to be coloring. Alexander, next card."

"Awesome. I'm awesome."

"Are not," Kiziah muttered.

"Are too!"

"Kiziah, enough antagonizing your brother."

"He started ant-oganizing me!"

"Antagonizing. It means "to be mean," and there is no reason for either of you to be mean to the other," Donatello scolded. Kiziah muttered and turned to the next page of the printout Donny had made for her.

Alexander waited for the card to flip and stared at it for a moment. "Um… I dunno."

Donny glanced at the word. "Here's a hint; you need it to do well on these lessons."

Alexander squinted. "Concentration?"

"Very good. Now, use it in a sentence."

"I have good concentration when I'm flying."

"Yes, you do," Leo chuckled as he walked in. Kiziah leaped up and flung herself at him; he caught her carefully, wary of his bad arm that was still healing, and sat down next to her coloring things. "How is the lesson going?"

Don grinned tiredly. "We'd getting close to being done. It's be easier if they weren't arguing constantly."

Both the children had the grace to look sheepish as Leo eyed them both. "Kids, you know to be good for your lessons. The better you behave, the faster they're done and the sooner you can start your fun time."

"Alexander said I squawked," Kiziah protested.

"Kiziah said I'm not awesome!" Alexander shot back.

Leo and Don glanced at each other and chuckled. "Kiziah, your squawking is adorable. Alexander, too much pride can get you in trouble."

"Uncle Don said to use it in a sentence," Alexander muttered.

Leo patted his son's head. "I know. But keep it in mind."

Don flipped over another card and Leo distracted Kiziah with the coloring. Alexander stared at it, his mouth moving slightly, and the looked at his uncle triumphantly. "Succeed!"

"Good one," Don nodded. "What does it mean?"

"To do good," Kiziah interrupted. Alexander squawked in protest and Kiziah giggled.

"To do _well_," Leo corrected her.

"To do _well_," she parroted. Her second page of coloring was nearly complete. She did five activities per day. She had finished the coloring page that helped her read; she was working on the math activity. Currently, she was puzzling out 3+5 using her fingers and her father's. Whatever the answer was would respond to a number and a color, and she would color in a beautiful castle according to the number in the sections. The next would have words that were missing one letter which she would have to fill in; the one after that was a matching game with words and pictures. She always saved her favorite for last after looking through all five for the day; today's favorite was one where she had to write words to match pictures and make up a story, kind of like Madlib.

Mikey and Raph appeared just as Kiziah was finishing up with her fifth page and Alexander was finishing his writing exercise with Don. They took the children to get lunch as Don and Leo cleaned up the crayons, cards, pencils, and papers scattered all over the hard floor. The children preferred working on the ground, since the table was uncomfortable for them, so the adults had to stretch out their backs from hunching over.

Kiziah and Alexander picked out a board game to play with Mikey as Raph, Leo, and Don set up the training area in the barn. They worked out together for a while, Leo cautious about reopening the recently sealed gash in his arm, until Mikey came in with the children. Kiziah and Don worked on tumbling and falling as Raph and Alexander worked on punches and kicks. Leo and Mikey helped whenever necessary, but Don made it clear that Leo was to keep his exertions to a minimum.

After the exercise, the children were taken to have a bath as Mikey and Leo worked together to strengthen Leo's wing. The bone had healed together but the loss of use had led to a disturbing lack of strength, so Mikey gently put small weights long the wing and Leo moved it up and down, back and forth. Mike had named the exercises "weighted winging" and enjoyed instructing Leo on different ways to rotate his wings.

Once they had all showered and spent some bonding time with The Game of Life, Master Splinter, April, and Casey joined the mutants for dinner. They all gathered in front of the TV and Kiziah chose a cartoon to watch. Mikey and Kiziah sang along - with Mikey humming - to the theme song happily while Alexander and Raph rolled their eyes. Then Alexander chose a Teen-Nick cartoon and Kiziah and Mikey pouted.

Leo and April put the children to bed once the show as over. Mikey and Raph fought over the remote as Don went to tinker with the small amount of electronics he had scrounged up from around the farm. Master Splinter retired to meditate and Casey waited for the battle for the remote to be over. By the time Leo and April returned, Raph had the remote and was sitting on Mikey's shell. They watched a movie and then Leo and Don decided it was time for them to sleep. Raph, Mikey, and Casey opted to stay up longer and watch another movie.

_~Later~_

_The biggest problem is finding them,_ Leo decided. He sighed and crouched on the bough. He listened hard – there was one heartbeat nearby he could feel, but he couldn't tell who it was. Raph and Mikey were left; he had found Don easily and sent him back to the farm house. Master Splinter was on the porch timing him with the help of Kiziah and Alexander.

Stealthily, Leo dropped from the branch onto the ground. The heartbeat was about thirty yards to his right. By the slow and steady rhythm it was Raph; Mikey's heart tended to be quick and light when prey in a game of hide and seek.

With careful, slow movements, Leo approached his brother's hiding spot, his wings half-open in case he had to move quickly out of the way. He was unarmed but he knew Raph had a few blunt shuriken covered in red powder and some flash-bangs grenades. Mikey had the same, as had Don, but they hadn't been much help.

A shuriken whistled out of a bush to his right and Leo dove to his left, rolling and coming to his feet in a crouch. He heard quick, light steps carrying Raph towards him. Leo stood and jumped into the trees, hiding himself. Raph appeared underneath him; Leo grinned. _Always look up, little brother_, he chuckled to himself. Silently he dropped and landed just behind Raph, using his arms to knock him down. Raph grunted and turned as he fell, flinging a red shuriken at Leo. It hit Leo's arm, left a red smear, and bounced away.

Leo held Raph down until the red-banded turtle gave up and trooped back to the house. Leo left the red smear on his arm, reminding himself that he wasn't supposed to use it anymore, and went to find Mikey.

His brother had holed himself up in a log with no way to get to him except from the front. Leo watched for a while; of the two, he had more patience. However, he could faintly hear the turning of pages – which meant Mikey had a comic book. Leo shook his head in exasperation.

Leo came up on the back of the log. Mikey had a good spot – but he couldn't see behind anything outside of the front approach. Leo quietly found a purchase under the log Mikey was hiding in and heaved.

Mikey screeched as his log rolled over and bounced down a slope before coming to a stop. The turtle crawled out and Leo was on him immediately; Mikey groaned.

"You should know better than that," Leo muttered, helping Mikey to his feet.

"I think you broke my comic book," Mikey wrote, pouting at Leo.

Leo sighed and helped Mikey extract the shuriken and his comic book from the log. They trooped back to the porch. Splinter marked down the time and then joined them for a late lunch.

"You are improving," Master Splinter remarked.

"Or we're getting worse at hiding," Mikey wrote down cheerfully. Raph scowled at him and Leo shook his head.

"I would hope you do not need a lesson in hiding, Michelangelo. However, if you require such, I will happily help you after lunch work on your skills," Splinter said blandly.

Mikey yelped and shook his head vehemently. He hated missing out on time with the children.

"And no more comics," Leo added crossly.

"I had to do something while you were hunting those two down." Raph grabbed the note as Leo read it and crumpled it in anger.

Leo shook his head and stood up to take care of the dishes. Raph and Mikey went to fight over the TV as Don helped Kiziah and Alexander take baths. The little ones chose to take baths separately now, so there was twice as much water splashes around the bathroom. April and Casey had driven to the closest town for groceries and crayons. It had proven too much a problem for the little ones to share, and Mikey liked to color with them, too. Half the crayons were missing as well, and Kiziah complained about the lack of diversity in her grass colors.

_~Elsewhere~_

As much as he hated it, Saki knew the turtles had escaped him again. They were clearly not underground; his ninjas had scoured the sewer system. All old, abandoned buildings had been searched; ninjas had been in every building in New York, stolen into secret areas and searched government laboratories. It was time to expand the search, Saki concluded. He did not relish the thought of searching the country, let alone the world.

"Search radially outward," he ordered the general standing behind him. "Every abandoned farm house, every village. Alert contingencies to begin their search as well."

The general waited for a second and then nodded and marched out silently. Saki turned back to the map of New York on his table. Each building that had been explored was marked; the red tacks stood for complete searches, the orange for partially-searched buildings including areas not open to public, and yellow for buildings where the search was limited to public areas. Two companies of ninjas were responsible for slowly breaking into those areas and searching all the places.

Saki growled and flipped over the map. On the backside was a map of the surrounding area. It was drawn on; the hand-written legend marked out barns, homes, villages too small to matter to real cartographers, and dirt roads that hardly deserved the name.

_They wouldn't have wandered far,_ Saki reasoned. Another part of him remarked that they had been in Brazil when Alex caught them. The Shredder growled and went to work his frustration out on a punching bag.

_~Elsewhere~_

"Keep it steady," Leo's voice said quietly. Kiziah wiggled slightly but regained her balance on the beam of wood. She was standing on her right leg, her other leg drawn up and her sole flat on the side of her thigh. It wasn't even half a foot off the ground but she and Alexander were competing for best balance. Kiziah had already won the agility test, and Alexander the strength test. This was the tie-breaker.

Both children were very competitive. It didn't help that Mikey was cheering Kiziah on and Raph retaliated by giving Alexander hints. They didn't play favorites, but Mikey did often take Kiziah's side in competitions.

Alexander spread his wings even farther and kept his center of balance as low as he could. Kiziah held herself well and wobbled less than her brother. Both, however, were are the end of their strength.

Don and Leo were also balancing on beams, but though their feet were bigger, both only had a post. Don shifted slightly and held the sole of his feet flat to the top of the inside of his thigh. Leo was in the same position, his wings half-spread, his eyes closed. He hadn't moved a muscle for the five minutes the children had been in position.

Kiziah finally lost. She lost her balance and, arms flailing, landed in a heap. Her legs trembled as she tried to stand up; Alexander jumped down and fell over as well.

"Nicely done, both of you," Leo said kindly to his children. He still hadn't moved a muscle but Don had happily dismounted the pole and was stretching out his legs. "Now stretch out and let yourself cool down."

"I wo-on," Alexander taunted, grinning. Leo frowned at his son.

"You should take pride in your accomplishments but do not lord them over your sister. Remember, she is still better at a lot of things. You each have strengths, just as you each have weaknesses," Leo lectured. "Do not make the mistake of thinking you do not make mistakes or have weaknesses."

"Yeah, or you'll end up like Raph," Mikey teased on paper. "All brawn and no brains!"

"Mikey… That's a compliment," Raph growled, whapping his brother over the head.

"Actually, it's more of an insult," Don protested. "All the brawn in the world won't help if you can't think your way out of a situation."

"And brains won't lift things or throw shuriken," Raph shot back.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Children."

"Yes?" Mikey, Alexander, and Kiziah peeped together; Mikey had a good sound for "yes" and "no" that sounded just like the children. Leo sighed.

"Never mind." Leo shook his head and stepped off the post. He showed no signs of discomfort but made sure to stretch out just the same.

"Next time, keep your chin up," Mikey counseled Kiziah as he helped the child stretch herself out. Raph was instructing Alexander as well, though the boy was still puffed up with victory.

Leo led them back inside for dinner and then TV time. The children would fall asleep easily and let the adults have an extra hour of training, probably. Leo looked forward to training with all of his brothers, not the one-on-one training they usually got because two always had to be caring for the children unless Splinter, April, or Casey offered to care for them.

Together, they tucked the kids in and sneaked out to the barn to train. If the children heard them, they would be clamoring to be with the adults. The grown turtles practiced together until they were tired enough that Leo called a halt. They each showered and found their sleeping spots. Leo had a sleeping bag on the floor in the children's room while Mikey, Raph, and Don slept in the living room. Casey and April had the Master bedroom while Splinter had the guestroom. Mikey had tried to sleep in the kitchen, saying Raph's snoring always kept him awake, but Master Splinter had said he could sleep with earmuffs if it bothered him that much.


	7. Preparation

**Chapter 7: Preparation **

Kiziah giggled as Alexander stabbed at the dummy with a determined scowl upon his face. Uncle Raph was holding the dummy in place, encouraging Alexander to hit harder, straighten his wrists, adjust his stance. He barked out order like a drill sergeant.

Don was trying to coax Kiziah to do the same on another punching bag, but she didn't like the feel of it against her skin, and her knuckles were already sore. She kicked it feebly and stuck out her tongue at the punching bag with a face painted on it. Lil' Sis snorted from her stall, watching the turtles.

"I think we're done," Don said wisely, noticing Kiziah's stubborn look coming on. He heaved the dummy over to the corner and took Kiziah off to a corner of the barn to practice the tumbles she loved. They were reserved for last so Kiziah knew she had to do well in her former lessons to get to tumble. She flipped back and forth, moving gracefully from hand-stands to splits.

"Very good," Leo complimented, coming over. He and Mikey had been working his wings again, which were nearly back to their original level of strength. It had gotten to the point where Mike would hold onto his wings and resist Leo's movements, since they didn't have enough weights to strain him.

"Look Daddy!" Kiziah squeaked, flipping onto her hands. She walked towards him, delicately balanced on her hands, her feet bent just slightly over her head.

"Nice, little one." Leo glanced at Don and nodded slightly; he caught Raph's eye and did the same. Both teachers stopped the lessons and helped the children cool down.

"Time for a bath," Don ordered. "Mikey will come help you, but it's time you learn to take them on your own. And no splashing around!" Both children giggled and raced after Mikey towards the house.

Don and Raph then turned to Leo. He watched the little ones disappear inside and then turned back to his brothers. "It's time. We've been working every night. We aren't going to improve significantly any more. My wings are back up to par, and Kiziah and Alexander are old enough to be left with Master Splinter and April and Casey for a few days." He didn't say what would happen if they didn't make it back before then.

Raph nodded, grinning slightly. "'Sides, all the time we've spent 'ere, Shredder could be getting' close. An' who knows what he's done t' our city." He was stroking Lil' Sis's neck as she nuzzled him.

"I am with Raph. But we must be careful. We should leave tonight," Don added. "Kiziah is especially good at picking up on emotions, and she'll pick up on it if we wait."

"Agreed. After the children are asleep." Leo was clearly having issues with just abandoning his kids; he shuffled his wings and rolled his shoulder slightly in an attempt to shake off the feeling. "No one tell Mikey; he's the most expressive of us. I will talk to Master Splinter."

The younger adults nodded and headed back to the house. Leo lingered in the barn a moment, hand on a post. His children were going to be left, vulnerable, while he and his brothers rushed headlong into a fight. He wasn't the gung-ho type like Raph, but even he knew it was the only way at this point. Raph was right; it was just a matter of time before Shredder found them, especially since the farm was a prime place. It was listed as being under Casey's mother's name, but it was also close to New York and away from real civilization. A prime target for any hunter of outcasts.

Leo found Master Splinter in the master bedroom and told him the plan. Master Splinter was sad but knew it was necessary; he also understood how much it hurt Leo to leave his children again, without an explanation.

"Be safe, my son. I will take care of your children; keep your mind focused on keeping _mine_ unharmed," Splinter said kindly, his hand on Leo's shoulder. He could feel the tension coursing through the eldest; already, Leo was back into leader mode, ready to make a snap decision and follow through with it. "Return to me safely."

"Yes, Master." Unspoken between them was the knowledge that, if necessary, Leo would die for his brothers. He wouldn't allow them to be hurt.

Leo breathed in slowly and loosened his muscles one by one. Exhaled all the fear, the sadness, the guilt, the pain; it left him slowly, unwillingly, and he felt it hovering there, waiting to be invited back in the moment he allowed it. He only had to hold it off for a few hours; then the children would be asleep and he would return to the more simple life of being a mutant turtle, leader of the best three brothers a guy could have, fighting evil even if humans didn't know it existed. The complications of fatherhood would have to be left behind for now; neither he nor his brothers could risk the coddling, careful nature he had adopted around his children.

Splinter noticed the change and nodded in approval. Leo smiled slightly and exited. He found Kiziah, dripping wet, on the floor of the kitchen under the table. Alexander was on the ceiling, also dripping water. Mikey had a towel in his hand and was looking back and forth. If he went for one, the other would wreak havoc on the furniture.

"Alexander, Kiziah!" Leo barked. Both children yelped; Mikey turned to Leo with an apologetic grin. "You know better than this. Go back into the bathroom and dry off, properly. You will then clean up the puddles."

"Yes, Father," they muttered, trooping past Mikey with a pout. The youngest adult threw the towel over Kiziah, who snuggled into it.

"It's turtle instinct," Don remarked, coming out of his lab. "We like to be wet." Raph sniggered and Don shot him a dirty look. "Very mature, Raph."

"Still," Leo said. "They need to learn manners. This is not our house."

"It might as well be," Casey remarked cheerfully, appearing from the closet. Leo glanced between the three males in front of him.

"You were hiding and didn't feel the need to help Mikey?" he asked.

"I was experimenting," Don pointed out. "We need shell cells." The braniac returned to his lab, closing the door softly. They could hear the classical tunes he listened to when working hard floating out from his lab.

Leo eyed Raph and Casey. "It was fun to watch," Casey protested. "If he'd've needed help, he'd've asked." Raph nodded and Leo shook his head in exasperation as he went to make sure Mikey had the children under control.

The bathroom was less wet than it could have been; the two children were bundled up in towels and dripping onto another towel as Mikey drained the tub and put the soaps back in their proper places. Kiziah insisted on using a girly-scented soap while Alex preferred to steal Casey's manly-scented body wash. As a result, bottles and bars were strewn about the bathroom. Leo knelt to help Mikey clean them up as the children wiggled in the towels. Mikey had pinned each other such that they couldn't get out; Leo chuckled slightly.

Once the bathroom was clean and the children dry, they were released from their towels. They raced to the TV, Alexander pushing Kiziah out of the way. She retaliated by jumping on him. They tumbled into the living room only to find Raph already there with the remote in one hand, grinning down at them.

Kiziah glanced at Alexander; the pale turtle smirked. Raph blinked and then shouted as he was assaulted; the two little turtles clambered all over him, trying to get the remote. Mikey appeared and Raph tossed him the remote, which was followed quickly by a pair of howling kids.

Mikey chuckled as he was knocked down by the little ones and tickled Alexander until the winged child was breathless while Raph scooped Kiziah up and did the same. Leo watched, smiling bemusedly. Raph may act like a hard turtle, but he was a softie inside.

"Alright, time to calm down," Leo finally ordered. "It's dinner time."

"I made your favorite," April called from the kitchen. "Lasagna!"

"Lasag-na!" Alexander shrieked, squirming away from his uncles and shooting into the kitchen. Kiziah giggled and ran after her brother. Leo watched them; Mikey chased both, leaving the remote in the living room. Raph watched Leo.

"You could stay here," Raph said quietly, coming up behind the leader. "They need you, and you need them."

Leo shook his head and glanced back. They had their fights, and they had their differences, but when it came down to it, they were brothers and they loved each other. "You need me, too. They will be safer when this is over."

Raph patted Leo on the shoulder and went to the kitchen. Master Splinter was slowly making his way down the stairs; Don had just opened his lab door and was fiddling with something in his hand. Reluctantly, he put it down inside the doorway and went to the kitchen. Leo watched his family – his entire world – gather around the table, the children chanting "Lasag-na, Lasag-na!"

_I have to keep them safe,_ he said to himself. He sat down to dinner at the head of the table, opposite Master Splinter. Raph was to his right, Mikey to his left. The children sat between Mikey and Don and Raph and April; Casey sat next to his girlfriend and to Master Splinter's left.

The dinner was delicious, though more pasta seemed to end up on Kiziah and Alexander than anywhere else. They needed another bath by the time the meal was over. Leo and Don offered to do dishes while Mikey and Raph took the children upstairs for a quick shower, this time supervised. Master Splinter returned to his room and Casey and April went to the living room to watch the news.

Leo washed the plates carefully and then handed them to Don, who dried each one and placed it back in the cupboard. Matching plates were something they had not grown up with, and they were careful not to harm them.

_Keep it together,_ Leo told himself as the time came to put the children to bed. The brothers let Leo do it alone, though they usually worked in pairs. Kiziah and Alexander were worn out from the long, busy day and didn't protest as much as they usually did. Leo waited until both had fallen asleep – they were in the same bed in the small room, surrounded by blankets and pillows like a fort – before leaving. The other adults were already on the porch.

Outside, Raph handed him his katanas. The brothers had hidden their weapons while the children were around, but now it was time to don them again. They settled over his shoulders like old friends; his wings closed around them.

"Let's go," he ordered. Raph had started the truck already; they left Casey and April's car in the barn with a note explaining where they were and not to tell the children. They all patted Lil' Sis and made sure her stall door was locked so she couldn't try to follow them. Don and Mikey piled into the truck and Raph climbed into the driver's seat; Leo's wings made sitting in the truck very uncomfortable, so he opted to fly instead. Raph didn't turn the headlights on as they wove their way out through the dirt track that served as a road.

Leo floated above them, watching as the truck finally hit the highway, turned on its high beams, and turned onto the road. He kept pace easily, mostly soaring on the early-night thermals rising from the sun-warmed ground. Leo flicked his tail slightly as he saw another car pass the truck, but it couldn't see him – it was a moonless night – and the windows of the truck had been coated in a special paint Don had developed in order to keep people from seeing in.

The cool air slipped around his wings, the warmer columns that lifted him high into the sky a sigh of spring against his plastron. Leo felt alive again; he hadn't realized how much he missed flying.

This time, he wasn't held back by the slower pace of Lil' Sis. He was probably flying along at about 50 mph, he estimated; he wished he could call Don on the shell cell and ask how fast the truck was going, but Don hadn't been able to finish a new set. It would more difficult now, he knew, to storm the tower if they couldn't reliably communicate if they split up.

In the distance, the lights of New York City grew brighter. Leo flapped his wings in the thermals and soared until he was cold; it would be easy to mistake him for an owl or other night bird at this height, he knew.

Raph wound through the exits and on-ramps expertly, weaving indirectly closer to the Foot tower in the heart of Manhattan. He parked the truck a few blocks away, behind a strip club. Leo could barely see his brothers as they climbed onto the roof; they had chosen a dark area of the street to be above, so Leo quickly dove towards them. The longer he was in the air, the easier he was to spot.

Leo landed with the thump right next to Mikey, who yelped quietly. The eldest furled his wings and stood up, re-orienting his balance to standing position mentally. He wobbled slightly for a minute as his body adjusted, which wasn't helped when Mikey hugged him, but regained his balance eventually.

"Alright, here's the plan," Leo said quietly. "Our primary goal is to kill the Shredder. We need to get in; Raph, Don, you are in charge of security." The two nodded. "Mikey, you will be the diversion." The youngest grinned widely. "We'll meet in the lobby once the security is down and go from there."

"Where will you be?" Raph asked.

"Watching your backs." Leo glanced to the east; the horizon was beginning to turn pink as dawn crept up on the city that never sleeps. The young ones would be getting up soon, too… He turned his mind violently away from that line of thought. "Go."

The brothers slipped silently over the rooftops towards the building. Don and Raph broke off to take care of the security measures; Don for the cameras and laser trips and floorboard sensors, Raph for the ninjas. Mikey dropped from the rooftop onto street level just in front of the lobby, which was dark and silent. Leo was poised on the roof directly above him as Mikey walked back and forth, waiting for someone to respond.

The lobby didn't explode in ninjas, which meant they had to go in. Leo landed next to Mikey and motioned for them to head for the lobby. Both were wary of the possible booby-traps as they approached the glass windows. However, when Leo smashed the left front door and nothing beeped or blew up, both grew more tense. It was not usual for there to be so little security.

Raph and Don were behind the lobby desk. Don was tapping away at the computer while Raph watched the hallway leading away from the perfectly business-like area.

"No one's home," Raph muttered as Leo and Mikey joined their brothers behind the welcome desk. Leo shook his head; he felt uneasy.

"I've shut off the cameras," Don remarked finally. "You two tripped a silent laser wire, though; they know we're here." Leo winced; he usually wasn't so careless. There was nothing for it, though, and he motioned for his brothers to follow him.

They took the stairs – too easy would it be for Saki to catch them unaware in the elevator, or cut the cables and just let them plunge to the bottom of the shaft. However, Leo supposed the warlord would want to lord his success over the mutants…

They trooped up silently, checking each floor quickly for any ninjas. They found nothing but abandoned – or, more likely, never used – offices and cubicles. When they were at the top floor – all four of them had aching calves by then – they found one large open room. Leo wandered out into it, but it was clearly uninhabited; the dust that covered the floor was thick enough to almost be a carpet.

"I feel stupid," he confessed. "Where are they?"

"Down?" Mikey suggested, pointing.

Raph eyed the staircase. Though they were all in great shape, 20 floors was a lot of stairs. He didn't relish the idea of walking all the way back down.

"I saw we take the elevator, Fearless," he grunted. "Maybe there's an underground lair we ain't found yet."

"They were upstairs last time," Don noted. "Where could they have gone? I don't think the Shredder would abandon this building."

"Let's see if the elevator has anything," Leo suggested. He crossed the room to the elevator in the middle of the building and pushed the call button. His brothers joined him.

"Heroes of the day… Waitin' fer the elevator," Raph snickered. "It'll prolly play some elevator music fer us, too." Don rolled his eyes.

The elevator dinged open and the four brothers jumped aside as the doors opened, but nothing popped out and a quick check confirmed the clear glass elevator was empty.

"Is anyone else thinking this is a trap?" Don asked. Mikey nodded, and Leo sighed quietly.

"We have no choice by to spring it." He stepped into the elevator; his brothers followed him. Leo examined the buttons, labeled 1 through 20. There was another button, G. _Probably for garage_, Leo assumed, frustrated. _How hard can it be to find them?_

"Whenever we don't want 'em around, they show up. Now we're tryin' t' find 'em and they disappear!" Raph growled. He twirled his Sai in restless anger. Leo shook his head in silent agreement and pressed "G."


	8. We Finally Meet

**Chapter 8: We Finally Meet**

"Sir…" The voice was hesitant. Saki turned to find a little ninja standing behind him.

"What?" Saki asked impatiently. He was fed up with the slow progress of searching and was leading a party of his own.

"We've a report from base… It would seem the turtles are at HQ."

Saki waited for a moment in case this was a joke. He would, of course, kill the kidder, but perhaps would grant him a quick and clean death. When the ninja didn't say anything else, the Shredder picked him up by the front of his uniform.

"Say that again," Saki said quietly.

"The… The base… A line was triggered… Cameras caught one turtle… They're dead now…" The Foot was terrified of their leader, to a man, and this ninja was no exception.

Saki swore in Japanese and put the man down; he backed up quickly, almost falling over himself.

"Where is the group I left at base to protect it?" he demanded.

"We are that group," another voice piped up quaveringly after a long pause. Saki swore again; of course.

"Gather in the scouts. Radio the other companies. Have them return to the base _now_," Saki ordered. He climbed into the car and ordered the driver to go back to HQ – quickly. The driver sped off, leaving the rest of the company behind.

_Typical of those creatures… They always show up where they're not wanted._ Saki contact Hun himself and ordered the thug and his gang to HQ.

"Sir! A report from Karai," the driver said, handing back the car phone. Saki recognized the face of his adopted daughter on the screen.

"Report," he ordered tersely.

"We found something very… interesting." Karai purred. She held the phone out; the image was fuzzy, but Saki could make out something squirming in a bag.

"Please tell me you are not drowning kittens in a bag," Saki growled. "This is serious, Karai."

"I believe it is a young mutant," Karai shot back. She was the only Foot who could – and did – talk back occasionally. Saki disliked having his authority challenged, but Karai would replace him someday, and she needed to be tough – so he let it slide.

"Show me." Saki leaned into the screen, willing the resolution – and the brightness – to improve.

Two ninjas grabbed the squirming sack; one opened it and the other reached in with both hands, pulling a bundle of legs, arms, and some other appendages out. It squirmed, hissed, and – judging by the cry of pain – bit its captor. The Foot holding the bag dropped the empty sack and grabbed two of the thing's limbs, trying to hold it still. They stretched it out in front of the camera; it clearly had more than four limbs; Saki counted six, or seven, but the thing was flailing too fast for the camera to keep up and was, therefore, a pale blur.

"It is fierce," Karai said, ducking and making the camera wobble as the vicious creature tried to kick her. "It is a pale version of the turtles, though I have no doubt it is related to Raphael. We found it wandering in the woods; it tried to fly away from us, but it is tired."

"Sedate it and bring it to HQ. I am sure it will provoke our _visitors_ into proper guestly behavior," Saki ordered. The creature squawked as someone darted it; Saki could hear it whine as it fell unconscious. He clicked off the connection and grinned to himself.

_Alex said there should be four – but perhaps only one survived. It is such a cruel world that the mutants live in,_ he thought maliciously.

_~Elsewhere~_

The garage had turned out to be spectacularly boring. There weren't any cars in it; it was solid concrete, with only one entrance and exit that led up onto the street behind the building's front door. Parking spaces were carefully marked out in fresh white paint and individual nameplates hung on the wall before each space. Leo didn't recognize any of the names; neither did his brothers.

"Maybe they moved," Raph suggested.

Suddenly, outside, they heard the sound of a car approaching. The brothers sprang into the shadows as a black, sleek car pulled in and parked in a space named "John McCrabb" and shut its engine off. A thin man stepped out of the car and opened up the back door; Leo nearly dropped off his hiding spot on the ceiling in surprise. It was the Shredder, out of armor and in his business-man attire.

Before Leo could stop him, Raph jumped into the open. Don and Mikey quickly followed; Leo dropped down from the ceiling behind Saki.

"Evenin'." Raph grinned. "We're here t' kill ya."

Saki hid his surprise well; he brushed the front of his jacket off and then eyed Raphael. "I see three – but where is the fourth?" In response, Leo moved forward, sweeping Saki off his feet with his tail and pouncing. The Foot leader rolled out of the way and sprang back onto his feet. "Ah, there you are." Leo slid one katana from its sheath, keeping his eyes on Shredder.

Don noticed the driver attempting to flee and threw his Bo after him, tripping the man. Mikey knocked him out and dragged him off to a corner of the garage. He was probably a Foot in disguise, but he could also be an innocent civilian.

The two youngest turned back from the task to find the garage filling quickly with black-clad ninjas. Raph had already driven through a group and was fighting to keep himself from being surrounded; Don and Mikey leapt to help him keep the ninjas away from Leo and Saki, who were exchanging blows with katanas. Where the Foot lord had gotten a sword, Don didn't know.

Raph growled at the ninja he had locked in close-combat; the man was breathing heavily. The turtle could smell fresh garlic on the man's breath and wrinkled his snout as he threw him bodily onto the car. Mikey moved up beside him, catching a man about to jump Raph in the groin with a nunchuck. The man dropped like a stone, blocking his comrades from advancing.

Don moved up on Raph's right, using his Bo to block shuriken and knock ninjas out, whipping it around like a piece of straw. He loved his Bo; the weight of the wood felt right in his hands and it responded to his littlest command. Though he was the least inclined to fighting, there was nothing that quite matched the feeling of protecting one's family.

Mikey lay about him, 'chucks whirling. The fighting was in close quarters; they hadn't quite downed enough to slow the others. He couldn't quite get the momentum he needed for solid hits, but he was breaking fingers and noses right and left. He missed being able to make jokes about the ninja's mothers, but made do with making faces at the black-clad men.

Raph finally had the room to pull his Sais out; he unsheathed them with an evil grin and dove back into the press. He was careful not to move too far forward, though; that would open Don and Mikey to flank attacks and would leave Leo vulnerable. His Sais were clean only for a moment before he drove the right tip of his left Sai through a ninja's face. The man fell to the floor screaming as blood poured from his facemask; Raph shook the skin left on his weapon off and attacked the next man in line.

Leo didn't risk glancing around to where he could hear his brothers fighting; his entire concentration was focused on Saki. The warlord had pulled a sword from the back seat of the car just before Leo could attack, and they were exchanging blows. Saki's sword was heavier, but Leo was faster and more nimble. Saki was bleeding in three places; his elbow, his side, and his knee. Leo had a hole in one wing from when he had turned to block a blow and Saki's sword had slid up his and into the wing.

"I suppose I should be glad you are here," Saki said as he backed away from Leo. They circled each other warily. "It saves me from having to find you – though I think we were getting close, if the little monster we found is any indication."

Leo faltered, let his sword drop slightly – and Saki jumped into the attack. Leo blocked two furious cuts and dove under a third, using his tail – Saki hadn't learned to avoid it yet – to knock the warlord over. Leo leapt onto Saki's chest and knelt on the ninja's arms, holding the tip of his katana to Saki's throat.

"What do you mean?" he hissed, bearing down with the katana until a line of blood ran from the man's throat. Saki merely grinned maliciously.

"Do it, Leonardo. I am unarmed – see?" Saki dropped the sword. Leo noticed the hush behind them; ninjas and brothers alike, an audience was waiting for the next moment.

Leo raised the katana slightly, preparing for the final strike.

"_Daddy!_"

The shriek ripped through Leo, feeling like a painful bolt of lightning going right through his chest. He gasped and turned, rising, forgetting the prey underneath him. Karai was standing next to a truck with a boxed-in back; two ninjas next to her were holding a squirming creature. Leo's breath caught as he recognized Alexander; he roared in anger and charged.

Raph, Don, and Mikey reacted nearly as instantly; they shot forward, forgetting the ninjas behind them. They were half-way to the pair when more ninjas closed around them, forcing them to fight their way through. Don couldn't see Leo or Alexander; he dodged a katana and hit the wielder with enough force to break the man's skull. Mikey was attacking just as viciously beside him; Raph was absolutely livid, adrenaline coursing through him and driving him farther than his brothers who were hindered by their weapons.

Raph was the first to break through the press. Two things assaulted him at once: Alexander was shrieking, clawing at the ninjas holding him, and Leo was on the floor, a red stain spreading out from his torso. Light glinted off Saki's sword as the Foot leader drew it out of Leo's shoulder, his foot on Leo's shell between his limp wings. The blue-banded turtle's face was turned away from Raph, his hands still clutching his katana; Raph launched himself towards Saki.

Don and Mikey broke through finally as well, and took in the scene at a glance. As only brothers who had fought beside each other for years could, they split up – Don rushed to Leo's side and Mikey attacked the ninjas holding Alexander.

Raph assaulted Saki furiously without regard for his own safety. He lost one Sai by burying it deep into the Shredder's thigh; the warlord tried to retreat, but Raph followed and finally caught the sword in one hand, blood dripping down his fingers, and plunged his Sai into the Shredder's unprotected neck. Saki gagged as Raph kept pushing; warm blood flowed over his hand as he slowly, agonizingly dragged the blunt weapon through the man's neck, partially decapitating him.

"Come back from _that_," Raph hissed, finally pulling back. His hand he had caught the sword with throbbed and bled heavily, but he didn't feel the pain. Karai shrieked somewhere behind him, but Raph calmly watched his archenemy bleed slowly to death. The ninjas were hanging back, it would seem.

Meanwhile, Mikey was facing off with Karai. The two ninjas holding Alexander were running away; Karai covered their retreat. Mikey didn't bother with his usual banter; he attacked with a ferocity that rivaled Raph's and drove the woman back. It took three solid blows to knock her unconscious, as he had to avoid the sharp katana she wielded, but she finally slumped to the floor, unconscious. The ninjas with Alexander had almost reached the elevator; Mikey sprinted after them.

Don heaved Leo over onto his shell and tore off his elbow pad. He pressed it to the hole in his leader's chest. There was no spraying, indicating Saki had missed any vital arteries and the heart, but there was too much blood. His elbow pad was soaked through within a few seconds and he pressed his other one against it, looking up for help. Raph was standing over Saki's body; Mikey was running towards the elevator.

"Raph!" Don cried, fighting down his panic. "Raph, get over here!" The red turtle was slow to respond, but once he managed to turn around and saw Don, bloody to the elbows, he seemed to wake up and rushed over. All the ninjas had seemed to disappear when Saki died. Karai was lying in a crumbled heap between them and the elevator. Raph knelt next to Don.

"What do we do?" he asked quickly. Don shook his head.

"I can't… I can't stop it. He's bleeding out. I can't stop it!" the braniac repeated, panic in his voice. "Saki didn't hit an artery but he won't stop bleeding… Dammit, Leo, if you don't stop bleeding I will never speak to you again!" Don yelled at the motionless and pale turtle lying on the ground. Raph sucked in his breath; Don didn't lose it unless it was really something to panic over. Raph leapt to his feet and ran to the truck Karai had come out of; he threw open the back doors.

_Yes!_ Raph leapt into the back and dug through the medical supplies. The truck looked like an ambulance, though there was a now-empty cage in the middle of the back, welded to the floor. Whatever gods were watching out for the brothers had come through again.

Raph raced back to Don, his arms full of bandages. He noticed Mikey walking slowly towards them from across the garage; Alexander was cuddled in his arms. Both were splattered with blood, and Mikey was limping. Raph waved them off; he didn't want Alexander seeing Leo like this. Mikey stared at Don and Raph for a moment before nodding and going to the back of the truck, probably to bandage himself up and clean the blood off of Alexander and himself.

"Don, that truck's an ambulance," Raph told the braniac. Don grabbed a handful of sterile bandaged from Raph's bloody arms and pressed them into the wound. He held them even though he knew it was useless; he could feel Leo's pulse weakening. The leader was breathing in short gasps; he stopped.

"Don… Don, he's not breathing." Raph was close to panic himself, and his voice reflected that. Don moved his hands away from the wound; it leaked sluggishly.

"He's gone…" Don whispered. "He's… He's dead." Don's brain screamed at him: _You have four minutes, you idiot! Start CPR! _But it would do no good; the instant Leo's heart started beating again, he would continue exsanguinating, _unless…_

"Raph! See if there is a cauterizer in there!" Don barked, leaning over his brother. CPR was hard on a turtle; as Raph jumped up and ran towards the truck, Don began pumping Leo's chest, trying to restart the heart. He would rather have the time to litigate each individual blood vessel, but that simply wasn't possible…

Raph cursed as he searched through the drawers. Mikey and Alexander were at the front of the truck; the child was silent, sucking on his thumb and sitting in Mike's lap as the eldest wiped blood from his shell.

It felt like forever before Raph pulled a kit out of a drawer. It was labeled "Cauterizing Kit" – he raced back to Don and put it down. He noticed the braniac reapplying pressure; the wound was bleeding again. Though it was not exactly good, Raph's heart leapt – Leo's heart was beating again, at least!

"Got it," he said quickly.

"Is it electric?" Don asked, removing his hands from the wound. Raph handed him a pen; he pushed a button. The tip of the metal pieces lit red-hot almost instantly. "It'll do." Don bent over Leo's chest; he worked as quickly as he could, using the pair of tweezers in the kit to grasp at individual veins and arteries as they poured their brother's blood onto the ground. Each one he cauterized made his heart beat a little slower.

Leo stopped breathing three more times; each time, Raph restored him to life with the ambu bag he found so Don could continue his work uninterrupted. Raph was thinking of nothing but his brother; he didn't notice when Karai woke and, upon seeing the amount of blood surrounding both her father and the turtle, fled into the elevator, giving both up for dead.

It was painstaking toil, but Don eventually managed the bleeding. He packed sterile gauze into the wound and wound bandages over his brother's torso. It had only been five minutes, probably, but the pool of blood he sat in – with more on the bandages strewn about and all over him – made him sick. Leo was panting, his skin cool to the touch and pale.

"We need to get home," Don said hurriedly. "Get that truck running." As he tried to clean up, wiping the blood from his arms onto more bandages, Don watched Leo worriedly. The sword had cut clear through both plastron and shell, and everything in between; it would take months for the leader to even be able to move the arm, let alone use it.

The truck roared to life behind him; he ordered Raph to put Mikey in the front with Alexander, so they wouldn't have to see Leo. Then the two loaded Leo into the back, placing him on the floor inside the large cage for lack of better accommodations. Once they were settled and the doors closed, Mikey carefully drove them out of the garage. It was full daylight outside, so he kept low in the seat and told Alexander to curl up on the floor of the passenger side. The exhausted and shocked child fell asleep immediately.

In the back, Raph sat next to Leo as Don transferred blood between them and tried to clean up all three of them with little success. He changed the dressing once in the time the drive took; Mike was going slowly to make sure they didn't jostle Leo too much.

Leo stopped breathing once, and seemed to wake up for a minute, but was so groggy he couldn't focus or speak. Don told him to be still and rest, and the turtle was back in a deep sleep before his brother could speak more than a few syllables.

Raph also used the time to bandage his hand; Don sutured the worst of it closed, but the genius was shaking with stress, fear, and exhaustion. He knew it wasn't over yet; Leo would continue to drop in and out of consciousness, and could quite possibly die still.

Don opened the little window between the cab and the enclosed back area. "Mikey, we need to find a hospital, and soon… Preferably a small one." The youngest nodded silently and pointed to a road sign. It said there was a hospital on the next exit; they were far enough from NYC that it could possibly be a small town. "Good, go there."

Closing the window, Don turned back to Raph, who was slumped against the edge of the cage, holding Leo's hand tightly with his good one. "That's enough blood, Raph. You can't give any more." He unhooked his brother, who just protested weakly. Leo was struggling to breathe, it was easy to see. "I need you alert; we are going to have to raid a hospital…"

Raph stood, shaking his head slightly to fight off the effects of a heavier blood loss than he was used to. They felt the truck turn off the highway and braced themselves as Mikey slowed it down quickly. A few turns later, the truck came to a halt. Don peeked out through the window; they were behind the tiny hospital, hardly deserving the name. It would have to do, though; dusk was falling, which hopefully meant there would only be a skeleton staff.

Mikey got out of the front seat and motioned for Raph to stay and guard the eldest and youngling still asleep on the floor. He and Don crept inside, alert for cameras. They returned several times, each time carrying heavy machines or armloads of bandaging and medication. Don cleaned out a full storeroom, praying the hospital didn't need any of it more direly than his brother, before he gave the signal for them to leave. Mikey hopped back into the front seat and drove them towards the farm, slowly again.

"Take some of these," Don ordered Raph. "They'll fight off infection from that cut." He handed the hothead a pair of white pills. "Then help me feed these to Leo." He held out of full handful of pills. Raph looked at him incredulously. "He needs them, Raph. Don't argue with me. Find a glass and get some water. We'll have to force-feed him."

Don pulled Leo into his lap, very careful not to bump the wound, and held his arms still as Raph administered each pill, stroking Leo's throat to entice him to swallow in his sleep. It took several attempts for each pill, and many tiny Dixie cups of water, before the handful was gone.

"What were those?" Raph asked.

"Pain killers, infection fighters, swelling reducers, fever reducers, and some pills to help combat the blood loss symptoms. And this will keep him out for a good few hours." Leo didn't react as Don gave him the shot; Raph put the syringe into the disposable bin by the door when he was done.

Finally, the two sat down and actually breathed. They kept their eyes on Leo, unwilling to admit to each other that they were guilty of letting Leo get hurt, of encouraging Leo in this fight, and of putting the entire family at risk. Don was so tired he could have slept even with Splinter barking at him; he nodded off just as Mikey turned onto the dirt road that wound towards the farm.

It was another hour – Mikey was extremely careful and went around all the potholes he possibly could – before they saw the farm lights through the forest. Alexander was awake; it was nearly midnight. He was hungry, shocked, scared, and tearful as the car pulled up in front of the house. Mikey gathered him up in one arm, gently wiping his tears away, and jumped out of the truck.

Casey and Master Splinter bolted off the porch. "Ya found 'im!" Casey yelled happily. Mikey made frantic motions for them to be quiet; Alexander started bawling.

"My son, are your brothers safe?" Master Splinter demanded, putting a hand on Mikey's arm. Casey took Alexander inside; April met him in the doorway and took up the bundle of crying turtle. Mikey felt tears coming on as well; Master Splinter noticed and patted him arm before heading to the back of the truck. He braced himself and opened the doors.

After first, he felt his heart ripped – the amount of blood covering all three of his eldest sons was so much… But then he heard all three breathing. Breathing a sigh of relief, he climbed laboriously into the back of the truck and gently shook first Don and then Raph awake. He approached Leo but Don held him back.

"It's… It's bad, Master Splinter," Don said quietly. "We've lost him several times… We need to set up a room and respirator."

"What happened?" the old rat asked.

"Later… Just… Later." Raph gently helped Splinter out of the truck. Mikey helped them move the equipment stolen from the hospital into the guest room, the only room on the ground-level of the house that could be used. Don sterilized everything carefully, including asking April to clean the sheets and covers, and set up the various monitoring machines. Then he and Raph went back for their last trip; Leo himself.

The eldest was cold, clammy, and hardly breathing. They picked him up gently; he was awkward to carry since they couldn't come near his left shoulder. Raph's hand trembled as he felt he sutures tear, but he would never drop Leo.

They made safely onto the crisp new sheets April had laid out; they carefully arranged Leo on his right side and moved his wings into a comfortable position. Don then fed the respirator through Leo's nose and inserted two IV drips into the back of his hand.

"Tonight will be the worst…" Don said quietly as all of the adults gathered in the new infirmary. The machine breathed loudly, expanding Leo's chest and then allowing it to collapse again. April leaned on Casey as the man held her shoulders. "We'll take it one day at a time. He needs blood, first of all. Raph's given all he can for now; I will take some from Mikey and me. He can't have any other blood, though; as it is, we might be endangering him since his blood is so different… But we have to try."

Master Splinter laid his paw tenderly on Leo's forehead. "What else?"

"He has to be kept sedated at all times. That's what this IV drip is for. This other one is feeding him nutrients. We'll have to tube-feed him tomorrow as well, and someone will have to be in charge of keeping him clean. I'll change the dressage three times a day."

"You need to sleep," April protested. "You're dead on your feet, all of you. Let Casey and I watch him tonight. I know enough to know if we need you, Don," she added when the braniac began to protest. Don fought back a yawn and agreed reluctantly.

"You're right. I'll give him the blood in the morning; he can't handle anything else at the moment." Raph and Mikey followed the turtle; Don took a long shower, finally cleaning the rest of the blood off of his plastron and arms. Raph took one after him, sitting under the hot water until it turned ice cold. Mikey also took one, not caring that the water was so painfully cold it made his teeth chatter; he liked the pain. He was the only one to have escaped unscathed, really, and felt guilty for doing so.

They were too tired to eat and all fell into their beds and were asleep immediately. Master Splinter came in and turned out the light; dawn was rising in the east. Alexander would probably sleep all day, but he would have to entertain Kiziah somehow, and keep her away from any knowledge of her father's state.


	9. Nightmares

_Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! I am currently working out finals week stress on my characters, which is why they're being tortured. However, I managed to update with two chapters; I wrote them as one and, when the word count began creeping towards the 10k mark, decided to break it up. It's also a thank you for being patient! Please critique my writing style; I want to get better in my writing. I've only been writing analytical essays recently, so I apologize if I sound a little stilted. _

**Chapter 9: Nightmares **

Alexander screeched and bolted upright. Kiziah cried out and fell out of the bed, dashing under it in fear. The door banged open; Master Splinter was in the doorway, clearly still muzzy with sleep.

"Children… What is wrong?" The old rat walked into the room and groaned softly and he lowered himself to his knees to find Kiziah. She launched herself in the rat's arms; he stroked her shell soothingly.

Alexander was clinging to the ceiling, shivering and crying. Mikey appeared in the doorway, closely followed by Raph and Casey. April and Don were right behind those two. All of them crowded into the room and Raph climbed onto a chair to pry the pale turtle from his death-grip on the ceiling.

"I know, little one…" Raph murmured, gently unhooking his nephew's wing claws and holding him. Mikey held out his arms; Raph passed off the crying child to his younger brother, who took Alexander out for some cuddling.

"He just screamed," Kiziah explained, snuggling into Master Splinter's warm fur. "Why?"

It had been only three days since the adults had returned. Alexander had woken up every night, several times; no one was sleeping well. Kiziah was bewildered and scared; she hadn't been allowed to see her father and was worried he wasn't really behind the door her uncles promised he was.

Raph had taken to sleeping in the room with Leo; Mikey often refused to leave the leader's bedside. Don joined the two after the second night; all four now slept in the same room, though every morning only three would wake.

April and Casey had been doing all of the usual chores, including caring for the children. It was too early for the brothers to leave their leader quite yet; they were still in a very dangerous spot, Don knew, though Leo had had nearly all of the blood he lost replenished from his brothers' donations.

"He had a nightmare," Master Splinter explained. "They're scary dreams, and they can feel very real."

"About what?" April and Casey quietly left; Don and Raph glanced at Splinter and, upon receiving his nod, followed the two humans. Raph went to check on Alexander and Mikey; Don went back to the infirmary.

"We don't know," the old rat told the young turtle. "He saw something that frightens him very badly, and he is unable to free himself of that fear."

"Why didn't Daddy come? He's good at scaring away bad dreams," Kiziah said miserably.

"Your father cannot care for you right now, little one, but he loves you still. You have your uncles, and me, and Casey and April."

"I want Daddy!" Kiziah insisted, thumping her little fist on the covers.

"Kiziah, we do not hit things in anger," Splinter admonished. Kiziah glared at him sullenly and the aged rat sighed quietly. "You do not yet understand, little one, but you will someday. Now, go back to sleep. There are still several hours before you should be awake. Tomorrow is a new day."

Kiziah grumbled and crawled under the covers, turning her back on the rat. Master Splinter sighed quietly and shut the door behind him, leaning on it for a moment. The hall was deserted; his room was the next door over, and from the sounds coming from April and Casey's room across the hall, the two humans were sleeping heavily. Casey in particular sounded like a chainsaw, though April snored almost as loudly.

Splinter chuckled softly and went in search of his grandson. Alexander was crying into Mikey's shoulder; the adult was rocking him gently back and forth, humming in his chest soothingly. Mike spotted Master Splinter and gave him a silent plea for help.

Master Splinter gently took Alexander onto his shoulder; the young mutant sobbed quietly. "Shhh, little one. There are no monsters here." _Though they do exist, _the rat thought to himself.

"But they're h-h-here!" Alexander wailing, pointing to his head. Master Splinter moved to the couch and sat down; Mikey hovered.

"What monsters plague you, youngling?"

"That evil… evil man." Alexander hiccupped. "He… He hurt Daddy! Bad… Like when I got that splinter but badder."

Alexander had been the only one who saw what had happened in the few minutes the three brothers had lost track of Leo. He hadn't yet spoken of it, just sobbed after each nightmare into one of his uncle's plastrons until he finally fell asleep again.

"I know, little one. But your father will be all right soon; he just needs to rest and heal."

"But there was red _everywhere_," Alexander protested. "A-a-and h-h-he was l-laughing." Splinter stroked the youngling's wings gently, encouraging him to talk. Everyone was curious as to how Leo had been skewered so thoroughly. "A-a-nd I was-s-scared…"

"I would be, too, young one. But you are safe now."

"Th-they found m-me o-once…" Alexander argued, hiccupping. "I'm s-sorry f-for run-ning a-a-away," he wailed.

"Shhhhh, it's okay. You are safe, and that is all that matters." Master Splinter started gently rocking the child. Alexander sobbed into his shoulder; Mikey stroked the little turtle's head as Splinter rubbed his shell, just like he had to his sons years ago when they had nightmares.

_~Elsewhere~_

Karai allowed a few proper tears to run down her cheek as the coffin was lowered into the grave. An honor guard stood close by; most of the people in the crowd were Foot soldiers, disguised as bereaved acquaintances. Not that there weren't plenty of those, too.

The coffin, she thought, was very beautiful; a wood so dark it was almost black naturally, with ornate carvings along the sides. It had been a closed casket funeral, due to her father's nearly decapitated state. Even in death he inspired fear, though; the Foot were not yet restless, but they would be soon. She would need to act decisively and root out deserters and betrayers before they gained a grip. There was also the cementing of the garage to arrange; the blood from both Saki and the turtle had left stains.

Once the turtles had left, Karai had had to act quickly. Still dazed from Michelangelo's nunchucks, she had undressed the bodies of a couple ninjas, slit their throats, and placed them in the pool of blood Leonardo had left behind. She then ordered a company to clear the rest of the garage and shot the driver, laying him out by the side of the car as though he had been surprised by the two naked men.

She had laid a few weapons about, remembering to make sure the marks on her father's throat matched those of the knife she laid next to his head. Saki had taught her to be very thorough, but she had still very strongly disliked slicing her father's throat open further to hide the difference between the Sai damage and the knife marks.

Her second task had been to clean herself up and call the police. They responded quickly to the hysterical woman sobbing over her father's dead body; she told them that the two naked men had shot the driver and then jumped her father as he was getting out of his car and slit his throat before killing themselves as well.

She was covered in blood because she had tried to stop the bleeding – a noble effort, the policemen agreed, but it would have done no good. They put a blanket around her shoulders and took her to the ambulance. A kind EMT handed her a card listing psychological services nearby while another police woman asked her if she had relatives to stay with.

The bodies were removed. The police agreed, for the sake of her father's image, not to do an investigation; both of the murderers were dead anyway. Her statement was written down, she signed it, and they left quietly, leaving two pools of blood and the card.

The city mourned for the philanthropist millionaire; each of the hospitals he had donated to sported "We remember the kindness of Mr. Saki" banners and promised to have a moment of silence in thanks to the man who provided dying children with a video game arcade, elderly people with motorized wheelchairs, and hospital staff with a gourmet chef team, paid off for the next ten years. Libraries he had funded and left pieces of his vast personal collection to were closed for the day; the mayor declared the funeral date to be a city-wide day of remembrance for all philanthropists that "had touched so many people with the kindness in their hearts."

_Eat your heart out, Raphael,_ Karai thought as the priest murmured prayers. _My father is a martyr, and you made him that. You furthered his cause more than you can possibly imagine, and you lost your precious Leonardo as well. _She wondered who would lead the turtles now – surely not Michelangelo, the jokester who could no longer speak. Raphael was the most logical choice, but was he broken? Did Donatello have it in him to wage the war his brother had perpetuated? Karai resolved to hunt them down as quickly as possible, before they could recover; she had found the baby mutant near a tiny town, in the woods. Her ninjas would start there.

Finally, as the grave was being filled in, Karai took her leave. It took nearly an hour to get away from the well-wishers and offers of counseling and guidance. Underneath it all, she knew, everyone was thinking she couldn't possibly handle her father's empire of companies, stocks, and charities. Little did they know that was exactly what she had been doing for the past year.

Karai ordered her driver to take her back to HQ; she also put in an order through the online dining app Saki had had designed for himself for tomato soup and grilled cheese, to be delivered to her room upon her arrival. She needed a long bath to wash away the feeling of false mourning from her skin and the stench of high society women who thought they needn't be seen but smelled from miles away.

Tomorrow, she knew, her grace period was over. Hun would be moving to take control of the Foot; some of the Elite would be fighting him for the position. She would have to whip them all back into obedience as her father did.

_~Elsewhere~_

"He needs to wake up," Don explained, turning a knob on a machine. "He'll develop blood clots at this rate. He's healing much slower than usual, but he still needs to move."

Raph grunted. He was bracing Leo, waiting for the drugs to wear off and the turtle to wake up. Don was expected fear, anger, and pain – lots of each. The last thing Leo had known was that Alexander was in the hands of the Foot, after all.

Don was also worried – silently, though – about the possibility of brain damage. Leo's brain had been deprived of oxygen for several minutes altogether. He didn't think the family could take it if Leo was brain damaged or even slightly addled. The brain activity on the monitor was suppressed, Don knew, but that could be because they were reptiles, or because he didn't know how the damn thing worked, or because Leo truly was mentally injured.

The feed stopped; Don waited, keeping his hand on Leo's wrist. The pulse was weak but steady; it would get stronger soon, he told himself.

Leo stirred; Raphael held his breath. The leader opened his eyes; they didn't focus. He looked at the bright light above him, unresponsive for a minute before slowly blinking and turning his head. Raph held him down firmly; Don warned that Leo might take a few minutes to "boot up," and once he did, he could injure himself badly if he moved too quickly.

"Leo? Leo, can you hear me?" Don asked, moving into his brother's range of vision.

Their brother blinked… blinked again… and opened his mouth. He tried to speak, but the only noise he could make was a croak. Don grabbed a glass of water on the bedside stand and held it to Leo's mouth; the turtle drank it thirstily. He finished another glass before refusing the third.

"Leo, how're you feeling?"

The leader blinked again, slowly turned his head to look at Raph quizzically. The red-banded turtle grinned a bit. "Hey, bro."

Don pulled Leo's attention back to him. "Leo, wake up a little more." The turtle blinked again and then furrowed his brow.

"D-Don?" Leo's voice was weak and scratchy. "Wh…what happened?"

"You got skewered," Raph told him. Don shot Raph a look of pure evil; Raph smiled sheepishly.

"I feel like someone fed me sugar again…"

"That would be the drugs," Don assured him. "We've kept you sedated long enough so that I could stitch your wound up as much as I could, but you need to move around or you could develop blood clots."

Leo's tail thumped; Leo blinked in alarm. "What was that?"

"Uh.. Yer tail." Raph lifted it so Leo could see. The leader just stared at it.

Don's heart started sinking; he could feel it somewhere in the vicinity of his knees. "Leo… What's the last thing you remember?"

Leo furrowed his brow. He'd had concussions and temporary memory loss before, and knew Don was probing to see if it was bad. It had to be, if he had a four-foot-long tail he didn't know about! "Um… Master Splinter went on vacation… He's due back in a week, though."

Don glanced at Raph; both winced.

"Leo… That was over a year ago."

Leo blinked in alarm; his wings opened and he yelped, both in pain and when they crossed into his view. "Do… Do I have… Are those… wings?" he asked very quietly, staring at the membrane hanging over him.

"Yes… Um… Let me explain." Don motioned for Raph to leave and sat down. The red-banded turtle went to find Master Splinter; Don was half-way through the tale of South Africa when the rat entered.

"Master Splinter!" Leo tried to get up but Don quickly held him down.

"My son, do not get up. Donatello tells me you are grievously wounded."

"In more ways than one, Sensei," Leo agreed. "He's just been telling me what's been happening these past few months…"

"I see." Master Splinter gently patted his son's side. "Be still and let him finish. We have much to discuss."

Don got to the escape from Alex and their flight home and then stopped, glancing at Splinter. Leo looked between the two. "What?" he asked.

"It would be best if he saw them," Master Splinter said, motioning for Don to get the children. Leo watched suspiciously as Don walked out the door. Raph and Mikey were outside; Kiziah and Alexander were in the living room. Don explained to Raph and Mikey what was happening; they each picked up one of the children. Both were told to be very quiet, because Daddy had a headache.

Don walked back in, Alexander perched on his shoulder. "Leo… This is your son, Alexander."

Leo stared, mouth open. Alexander sniffled as his father refused to acknowledge him; he opened his wings and took off from Don's shoulder, landing on the bed beside Leo as carefully as he could. "Daddy… Daddy, what's wrong?" Alexander was careful not to touch the bandages but tried to snuggle into Leo's plastron. Leo looked at Splinter, completely lost and terrified.

"Raph," Don called. The hothead came in, carrying Kiziah. The little one yelped with joy, forgetting her instructions to be quiet, and screeched "Daddy!"

Leo reacted violently; his wing shot out and clipped Raph in the head, knocking him over and pulling Kiziah off of him. He cupped both children under his wing and struggled to get up; Don leaned into him as much as possible without further injuring his shoulder. Master Splinter held his legs down, and Mikey stepped in to grab his tail.

"No, Leo, it's okay!" Raph said quickly as he got back to his feet; he remembered the screech that had nearly stopped his heart in the garage. "It's okay, bro." Leo stopped moving, breathing heavily; the little ones were scared and confused under his wing. "It's okay."

Don breathed out shakily; he had only seen that look in Leo's eyes once before, and it was _not_ something he wanted to see again – ever. "Leo… That was a trigger. You got that injury when Alexander did the same thing…" Quickly, Don explained about the garage battle; slowly, Leo was starting to put his memories back in order. The screech had opened a floodgate, and he could feel a migraine pounding away behind his eyes but refused to let it interfere with rebuilding his recollection.

"I'm sorry," Leo whispered finally, curling his good arm around his children. "Kiziah… Alexander… I'm so glad you're safe." He nuzzled each; they churred happily and snuggled up beneath his wing, refusing to let go of their daddy again.

Don motioned for the adults to let Leo assure himself his children were safe; they gathered outside in the living room. "He just needed the proper trigger," Don explained. "His memory was hidden from him – though I wonder if he remembers how the Shredder managed to pin him like that…"

"That is a story for another time," Master Splinter said firmly. "For now, he must be assured that his entire family is safe, including his brothers. He will want you close until he feels he had recovered."

"It's going to be weeks," Don warned. "I don't know if there's nerve damage yet, but it's very likely. The sword nicked an artery as well; I had to suture that one, and many other blood vessles and muscle fragments. He won't be able to lift anything with that arm for at least two weeks, at the current rate of healing."

"We will see to it he heals quickly, then," Master Splinter instructed. "We have had a respite, but if Karai found Alexander near here, we may be forced to defend ourselves sooner than Leonardo can heal."

"We could move," Raph suggested. Don winced. "Ah don' likit either, but Leo's out fer th' count and we're still recovering. And we've got more'n just us t' worry 'bout now."

Mikey nodded; Don rubbed at his face. "Alright… We need to get off the map. I hate the idea of making Leo camp, but… That may be our only option."

"I'll bet those mountains hide some good caves," Raph suggested. Don chewed on his tongue, thinking.

"Mikey, start looking over some maps. Find a good secluded area. We'll see what Casey and April have to say first," Don suggested. "This is their farm, after all."

"Technically, it's Ma's," Casey interrupted, coming downstairs. "We couldn't help but overhear… Sounds like you've made your mind up."

"We don't want to put you in any further danger," Master Splinter explained. "And Leonardo cannot defend himself nor his family at the moment. Alexander's capture showed Karai that she was close, and she will be relentless in avenging the Shredder."

"Why dontcha take the RV?" the man suggested.

"You have an RV?" Don asked, blinking. "Since when?"

"Uh… Ever?" Casey scratched his head. "It needs a little repair, but it's nice an' cozy and made for off-road adventures."

"Where is it?" Don couldn't believe their luck – something was certainly watching over them. That, or Casey was just being a bonehead.

"Back in New York."

"Of course," Raph grunted. "Why wouldntcha store th' RV out here, doofus?"

"'Cause I didn't need it out here," Casey shot back good naturedly.

"Casey and I will go back to New York and get the RV. You guys get ready to move Leo," April suggested. "We'll be back as soon as possible." The mutants thanked them; the humans waved it off with their customary "anything for you guys," grabbed their jackets, and headed out into the chilly evening air.

Don set Raph to packing the bedding and materials to keep Mikey and the children occupied. Mikey set to boxing the years of canned, packaged, freeze-dried, and pickled food squirreled away in the basement. Master Splinter went to pack up the few things he had saved from the lair; Don went to check on Leo and gather the medical supplies.


	10. Camping in the Wilderness

**Chapter 10: Camping in the Wilderness**

Leo groaned softly as he bumped against the door of the RV, the narrow entrance nearly too tight for him to squeeze through. Mikey was carefully holding his wings shut, awkwardly side-stepping in behind him. Don was in front of him, carefully watching to ensure he didn't fall over. Splinter was in the passenger seat and Raph was on Lil' Sis's back, waiting.

Don guided Leo to a chair and sat him down, buckling the lap belt neatly. It was uncomfortable, especially with his wings, but the trip would be a short one. They were going to be going as slow as a snail, too, up an old dirt road. Casey and April came in, bearing a couple more boxes of food. They hugged everyone goodbye and then climbed back out.

Alexander and Kiziah giggled from the bed in the back where they were lying with a pile of blankets and pillows. Mikey sat next to Leo as Don climbed into the driver's seat and started the car. "Ready, everyone?" Don called. Raph gave them a thumbs up and nudged the mare, who began walking away from the house. They would be taking the direct route to the campsite; the RV needed to get back on the highway, go up for a few miles, and then turn off at an unmarked road. Don had drawn the route in on a map, and Splinter was going to help navigate.

Leo took a sip of water from a bottle next to his chair as they started off. He was sad to leave the farmhouse behind, but it was also necessary. Because of the proximity to where Karai had captured Alexander – Leo glanced back at his son at the thought – they needed to get away from the place.

April and Casey would hold down the fort, looking and acting just like a young couple on their honeymoon. It would, hopefully, fool any ninjas that came prowling about.

Leo fell into a light sleep, courtesy of the drugs from Don, as they bumped their way back to the highway. Mikey watched him carefully before finally going to play with the younglings to keep them quiet and occupied.

The small bumps they experienced on the highway made Don wince; he didn't want to jar Leo's wound and possibly wake the eldest. The road he had looked up would be much worse, he knew, but he decided to handle that when he got there.

Splinter indicated the mile-marker for the turn-off and Don slowed to a crawl before leaving the highway and carefully driving up a packed-dirt road. It was fairly smooth at first; driveways branched off every few hundred feet, some with signs or mailboxes. As they drove, the road got bumpier and narrower. Branches scraped at the sides of the RV as Don inched it carefully over potholes, drainage ditches, and last season's streambeds.

It took nearly three hours before Don found a small meadow off to the side of the road. By then, the road was little more than an ATV track. Leo had woken up and grimaced with every bump; the children giggled and curled up into balls, rolling and bouncing in the blankets as the RV lurched about. They pulled into it with a sigh of relief from everyone. Splinter and Mikey piled out, taking the children with them, to relieve themselves. Don helped Leo out of the RV and sat him down on the softest patch of grass he could find. Then he began unpacking the boxes and bags and pulling out the expandable sides of the RV. Mikey helped him with the latter chore and then put up the awnings. Splinter and Leo played with the children as the brothers worked at putting a fire circle together and putting up a large tent that would host Don, Raph, and Mikey. Leo, Splinter, and the children would sleep in the RV.

Don was changing Leo's bandages when Raph rode up with sunset following him shortly. It got cold and dark quickly; Mikey lit a fire and prepared a stew of pork and vegetables over rice. Everyone ate quickly and then went to bed; it had been a long day, and even Lil' Sis was too tired to insist on a long grooming before bed as she usually did.

_~~Some Time Later~~_

Leo winced as he lifted the arm. It pulled and hurt – but Don made him lift it higher and then rotate it gently. Alexander watched, sucking on his thumb; Kiziah was chasing a butterfly across the meadow under Raph and Splinter's careful watch. Lil' Sis had wandered off to graze and Mikey was cleaning out the RV and tent after a week of usage.

Don carefully massaged Leo's shoulder as the leader tried to ignore the pain. Alexander climbed onto his father's lap and curled up; he rarely let the eldest adult out of his sight any more. Don had said that it was normal behavior for a traumatized child, and that they should gently and slowly move Alexander into doing more normal activities.

Kiziah was still a little worried but was mostly interested in chasing butterflies, catching frogs, and finding snakes in the forest. She always had an adult with her, but Leo rejoiced that his little girl wasn't too affected by his state of being.

After the short stretching session and subsequent massage and hot pack – a warm damp cloth warmed over a fire with the morning's tea pot – the turtles and Splinter gathered for lunch. Leo carefully lay on his plastron after finishing a bowl of rice and spread his wings to soak up the midday sun; Alexander copied his father and the two basked happily together. Kiziah played patty-cake with Mikey while Raph and Don did dishes and Splinter meditated in the cool shade of a tree. The nearby stream gave him a peaceful sense of security as it burbled along.

After an hour of basking, meditating, an various games, the three healthy adults left to forage and get water to boil. Splinter and Leo played with the children, teaching them games to improve their speed, agility, flexibility, and stealth. Kiziah excelled at hiding and posing in ways that make Leo wince; Alexander was extremely quick and agile over the obstacle courses the two adults set up.

"I think that's enough for today," Splinter finally acknowledged as the two children caught their breath from the last race. Don and Mikey returned; Raph and Lil' Sis were on a patrol, they told Splinter. Don and Leo then set to the day's lessons; spelling for Alexander, math for Kiziah. Mikey went to put away the foraged food as Splinter retreated to his usual spot for some meditation.

The days passed slowly yet quickly all the same; Leo slowly regained strength in his arm and shoulder, though he had permanently lost feeling in two of his fingers. With Splinter's help, he relearned how to hold his katana and sense if his grip was incorrect without being able to feel his main two fingers.

Raph twisted his ankle once, and Mikey managed to sprain his wrist falling off of a log. Don kept himself out of harm's way, but it came to him when he accidentally knocked over a wasp nest. He spent three cases encased in mud, luckily not allergic to the stings. Alexander was attacked by a hawk while flying over the bird's nest; though the youngling was only slightly scratched, Leo was worried. His son hadn't spoken much since the incident in Shredder's garage, and after the hawk stopped talking altogether.

While hunting a snake, Kiziah was bitten by a harmless snake, though she screamed loudly enough to make all five adults drop everything and race to her side. The incident didn't scare off Kiziah, however; she continued to hunt snakes and frogs, though she was slightly more cautious about sticking her hands under logs.

Splinter caught a cold as winter drifted in and spent days wheezing in the RV as Mikey and Leo took turns watching over him. Don fed him what medicines they had with hot tea and kept him warm; eventually, the cold left, but Splinter was weakened by it and continued coughing. Raph built a shelter for Lil' Sis as the snow began to fall, and all of the turtles began feeling the effects of colder weather. Though not entirely cold-blooded, they were more lethargic in the cold. Alexander and Leo basked whenever possible; they burned a fire day and night. No one left the camp during snowstorms and when necessary to leave the meadow at all, they did it in pairs.

Eventually, Raph and Don enlarged the shed protecting Lil' Sis and moved everyone inside. The RV didn't have a heat source and huddling together in the shed was warmer with a fire and Lil' Sis. They built it sturdily and wind-proofed it for the occasionally wind that screamed down the mountain during the nights. They had to range farther every day for food and firewood; Splinter began coughing more and more often. Leo's arm ached and the children complained of the cold.

"We need to go back," Don said one morning while the four adults were looking for more firewood together. They had left the children and Splinter wrapped in blankets with a blazing fire and Lil' Sis in the shed to keep them warm. "Master Splinter's cough is getting worse, and the children are going to get sick if they keep sleeping in the cold. Not to mention us."

Leo chewed on his tongue, but nodded. "You're right. We all need a break. Surely the Foot have moved on by now. We'll pack up tonight and leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Raph growled. He would have to ride Lil' Sis all the way back, in the cold. "We'll wait for midday. Hopefully it'll be warmer."

Leo nodded. "We'll leave you our warmest gear." Mikey shivered and grabbed a piece of wood from the ground, his arms nearly full to bursting with as much wood as he could find. It wasn't dry, but it would be stacked near the fire to help keep the heat on the inside and to dry. All four turtles were burdened completely and returned to the shed. Leo carefully stacked the firewood in front of the pile from last night, which was almost completely dry. He fed the fire more, checked on the children, and poured Master Splinter some hot tea. The rat drank it carefully, coughing between sips, before falling back asleep. Lil' Sis stood over him protectively.

Don, Raph, and Mikey began packing the gear as Leo made dinner. They had enough firewood for the night, easily, and once the three adults returned, they would shut the door and hunker down for another cold night. _It ends tomorrow,_ Leo reminded himself as the cold wind blew around the shed.

The last of the oatmeal was just starting to smell good when the three brothers returned, frozen and muttering curses, in Raph's case. They crouched by the fire as Leo shut the door and hung the thick blanket over it, a layer of insulation to keep the warmth in and the cold out. Raph handed out bowls of thick oatmeal with chunks of raisins and brown sugar mixed in; everyone ate quickly and then snuggled into the warmed blankets.

One brother stayed awake to feed the fire and watch over the family, especially Splinter. Leo took the first shift; when he could no longer keep his eyes open, he woke Raph and occupied his brother's place next to Alexander, unfurling his wing – another layer of insulation against the cold – over his children.

The next morning, everyone woke slowly. It was cold out, but the fire helped keep the shed warm. Outside, it would be freezing. Leo was the first to wake and he stoked the fire again. Don had dozed off during his shift, so Leo gently put him to bed for an hour while the fire warmed the shed and boiled water for the tea and the last of the rice.

Master Splinter woke when Leo gently shook him; the old rat drank a mug of hot tea carefully, cradling it to bring warmth to his thin hands. Lil' Sis snorted, her breath steaming in the cold air. Raph woke up and built a second fire – might as well, he noted, since they had enough firewood. It began to warm up slightly in the shed with both fires blazing.

The children and Mikey woke at the same time and Leo gave them each a bowl of rice and a piece of jerky – their last protein – for breakfast. Don finally woke when the smell of the warming jerky permeated his dreams and ate breakfast quickly. Leo went out and started the RV to get it warmed up before they left; he came back and said it was snowing again, and that they had to get moving quickly. The adults cleaned up the shed, packing the last of the materials and leaving Raph the heaviest jackets, mittens, gloves, pants, and giant boots they had.

Leo and Don wrapped the children in blankets and carried them into the warming RV. Mikey wrapped himself up and carried a box of kitchen utensils out as Leo and Don bundled up Master Splinter and carried him out as well. Finally, they were all in the RV; Raph quickly said goodbye and retreated to the relative warmth of the shed with Lil' Sis.

Leo drove this time; the road was snow-covered and treacherous. The RV hardly seemed to move, but luckily the automatic chains worked so he didn't need to get out and put them on. They crept – even slower than on the way in, if that was possible – out the highway. It had been plowed recently, but no one was driving on it; they made their way back to the farm without passing a single car. It took five hours, with one stop so Leo could knock the ice off of the windshield and mirrors, to get back to the farmhouse. Leo and Don took the children and Master Splinter in first; April set to making them hot chocolate as Casey helped the adult turtles unpack the RV in the barn. Finally, they all piled back into the warm living room where hot cocoa waited in steaming mugs. Mikey hugged April and drank his down without checking the temperature; he groaned in both pain and happiness as he scalded his tongue. Leo and Don were more careful and took off their snow-soaked clothing before partaking of the warm liquid.

Alexander and Kiziah curled up in front of a movie happily as Master Splinter retired to bed. Leo went out and hung lanterns around the house in case the storm – which was worse than it had been this morning – blocked the trail or Raph got lost. He alternated with Don watching for their brother from an upper window of the farmhouse.

Finally, around dusk, Lil Sis came trotting up in a foot of fresh powder. Raph slid off her back and led her right up to the porch. April laid down towels and Lil' Sis came into the house, happy to be in the warmth of a heating system again. Raph was stripped of his soaked clothing and given hot chocolate in front of the TV with the children. Lil' Sis was rubbed down and then allowed free range of the house; she stood behind the couch where Raph sat, idly watching the TV.

"It's cold," April said as they gathered for a warm and filling dinner. "It's the coldest winter in several years, according to the News station."

"We'll be snowed in," added Casey. "It'll keep the Foot away." Leo nodded in agreement.

"We need to get medicine for Master Splinter," Don said. "He needs cough syrup, some other things."

April nodded. "I'll make a run if you tell me what you need. We could use more food, too." Casey volunteered to tag along and the two humans left quickly. The snow continued falling, piling against the house.

_~~Elsewhere~~_

"The snow is preventing us from searching many summer homes," the commander reported, indicating the areas he wasn't able to access. "The roads are treacherous even in summer – they're impassable now."

"Let us hope the reptiles freeze to death," Karai hissed. "Continue the search. I don't care if you have to walk in – get into every single summer home, shed, farm house, barn, and cave within a fifty mile radius of the location where we found the baby monster."

"Yes, ma'am." The commander saluted and marched out silently. Karai glared at the map. Less than a third of the houses and buildings had been searched thoroughly; too many lay off the beaten path, exactly as their owners desired.

She tapped at a farmhouse with barn. It was labeled as being under a "Mrs. Jones" and listed as a livestock farm. It had a barn and tiny corral, according to the property taxes, and the land was classified as agricultural in nature. The last taxes paid on it had been in the 80s; since then, the farm part of the farm was forgotten when bigger corporations took over the market in the tiny town nearby.

Another building nearby belonged to a "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" – it was listed as a vacation rental, and the ad for it said it had a wonderful view of a lake that froze in winter enough to be skated on. It was only an hour from the nearest ski area, too, and had a porch grill and covered patio for parties. Chimeas and heating lamps were included for winter parties.

Farther along the highway was a slew of summer homes, belong to a "Mr. Deborsavitch" and a "Mrs. MacCraig." One even belonged to a friend of Saki's, though that friend was long since dead. The home was actually a place for Saki's important guests to stay, out of his way and far from important things. No one would hear a scream if the assassin sent for the guest made a mistake way out there.

_They could be anywhere, _Karai mused. _What irony if they have been in my father's house this entire time…_ Like so many of the homes, that particular house was snowed in entirely. The ninjas were being equipped with snowshoes and warmer clothing now; she had already lost several to hypothermia, and enough noses, toes, ears, and fingers had been blackened by frostbite that some of her ninjas didn't need gloves to make their hands black anymore.

Karai smacked her fist on the map and stormed off to her rooms where a hot bath with soothing bubbles waited. She called for a massage and then for a dinner in bed. As she ate, she watched the news for information regarding her enemies – but the only stories were those about the storms that had basically shut the city that never sleeps down and interrupted trade worldwide. Central Park had become a maze of ice sculptures built by everyone from a five-year-old to a world master of sculpting ice.

Finally, calmer and sleepy, Karai rang for a servant to retrieve the tray her dinner had come on and lay down in her dark chambers, waiting for sleep to engulf her. She dreamed of green demons slaying her father, laughing at her as she held a small green demon in her hands. Karai twisted in her sleep as the silent demon beat her mercilessly; she cried out as the one that burned with fury killed Saki and then ate her father's heart. The timid one was holding the leader of the demons, rocking back and forth and groaning hideously.

_I hope Leonardo is dead,_ Karai screamed in her dreams. The demons recoiled and then danced around her, taunting her. She was unable to move.

_~~Elsewhere~~_

The feeling of a sword stabbing through his shoulder was one he would never forget; Saki twisted it once the sword had poked through the front side. Metal grating against bone was a sick feeling to experience, though Leo had heard it before when he stabbed humans. The draining of his energy as he felt a puddle growing underneath him; Alexander's shrieks of terror and pain reverberated through his skull. He couldn't get up; he was pinned. His arms were useless; his wings fluttered weakly. Dimly he heard Raph roar; Don yelled. _Don't hurt them_, Leo begged silently, trying to gather his strength. It drained from his wound faster than he could replenish it, though, and blackness began eating at the edge of his vision.

Leo sat up, breathing heavily. He rubbed his shoulder with his good hand, flexing his number fingers. It was the same nightmare he'd had since waking up; it didn't scare him anymore, but it wouldn't go away. He had been skewered, basically, but with Splinter's help had forgiven himself for forgetting all the years of discipline and training in favor of his paternal instincts.

Around him, his brothers slept on, Raph snoring lightly, oblivious to the pain of the eldest. Leo rubbed at his hand – the numbness was spreading, though he didn't want to tell Don. The braniac had enough on his plate, with Master Splinter growing weaker daily. The cough had progressed into pneumonia, the purple-banded turtle explained. Though he was confident that their sensei would beat the illness, it was taxing all of the adults as they constantly watched Splinter's least movement and fed him medication.

Alexander and Kiziah were cuddled up between Leo and Mikey; they didn't respond when Leo sat up but snuggled together more. Alexander was sucking on his thumb still; Kiziah had been teasing him about it recently, which meant the boy didn't do it consciously anymore, but every morning he woke with a prune-like thumb.

Leo was doing his best to discourage the behavior; he had tried putting hot-sauce on Alexander's finger, but that just meant a sleepless few hours as Alexander screamed himself awake after sucking his thumb in his sleep. It had taken quite a few glasses of water – which led to trips to the bathroom later – to get the sting out.

Next, Leo had tried taping Alexander's thumb to his hand, but the tape didn't stop him; Alexander sucked on his fist. Raph had suggested giving Alexander a sucker, but the young turtle just chewed it up before falling asleep and sucked his thumb in his sleep.

Smiling gently, Leo removed his son's hand from his mouth and tucked the blanket in around the pale tutle, careful to avoid his wings. They were brittle from the lack of sun, Don said, and the lack of good food from staying out in the wilderness. Though the children didn't go hungry, they hadn't had much calcium in their diet, and both were growing rapidly.

Alexander was nearly at Leo's waist already, when he stood up straight; Kiziah had reached Mikey's waist, a few inches shorter than her brother. She was probably going to be small, Don predicted, but it was hard to tell so far.

Leo nuzzled his children as he lay back down. He loved his family – and given the chance, he would give far more than the feeling in a couple fingers – and now his hand – for them.


	11. Initiation Rites

_Sorry for not updating this. Warning: squeamish people should skip to the first "Elsewhere" tag… For gore/violence. And this is the last chapter… Second warning: character death! Ooooo…_

_Disclaimer: Don't own much of anything anyway._

**Chapter 11: Initiation Rites**

Alex sighed, taking her time in the shower. The shower head spit erratically, drenching her with alternating cold and hot water. It took some getting used to, certainly, but she was clean when she finally got out and dried off. She double-checked the door; it was still locked. Ever since that robbery, she had been on edge. Big John had showed her some self-defense tricks, but she was nervous nonetheless.

The woman stared into the cracked mirror. _Flew so high,_ she sighed to herself. _Now no one thinks you're anything but a waitress. Forget the PhD; no one will hire a lunatic…_

She bent over and spat out the toothpaste and saliva mixture filling her mouth into the sink. The running water quickly washed it away.

Alex dressed carefully, toweled her hair to a semi-dry state, and gathered up her belongings before sneaking back to her room. She quickly opened the door and slipped inside, flicking on the light switch.

She didn't have time to scream; the thin man attacked her instantly, slitting her throat. Alex fell against the bed, choking on her own blood. The man dressed in black took her key from her hand, which clutched at her neck, turned off the light, and let himself out, locking the door behind him.

_~~Elsewhere~~_

Don knocked quietly at Leo's door; the eldest answered it quickly. "It's… It's time," the braniac whispered. Leo nodded resolutely, patted Don's shoulder, and went to wake Raph. They would let the children sleep for now; there was no need to wake them for bad news. Raph and Lil' Sis followed Leo to Master Splinter's room. They joined Don and Mike there.

Leo took his father's hand. The skin was thin, almost transparent under the brittle hairs. Bones poked through, defined like the muscles of his sons. Mike knelt by the bedside, resting his hand on his fathers'. Raph stood behind Leo, doing his best to appear stoic. Don stood behind Mike, one hand on the youngest's shoulder. The rat breathed shallowly, a wet sucking sound that filled the silent room.

"My sons…" Master Splinter sighed. "It is my time."

"Raphael." Raph grunted. "Do not let anger cloud your emotions. You are strong and the heart of this family; but remember, a heart cannot be locked away. Your brothers need your strength more than you know."

"Donatello." Don squeaked, trying to speak, and cleared his throat. Splinter smiled gently. "Do not lose yourself; you are the eyes and ears of your brothers, but you cannot see if you look too closely, nor hear if you listen too hard. Your brothers need your wisdom and your support."

"Michelangelo." Mikey hummed softly. "So much can be said without words. You see more than anyone I have ever known. Your brothers need your insight; you are the laughter that keeps the darkness at bay. Keep them from being too serious."

"Leonardo." The eldest murmured quietly that he was listening. "Guard your family well, and teach them to honor themselves and their way of life. You are now the Master." Leo bowed his head, hot tears splashing on the rat's grey fur. The sermon to him was short; they had already discussed what would happen when the rat died, though Leo hadn't seen it every actually happening. Their father had survived too much.

Master Splinter sighed. "Tell Kiziah and Alexander they have made an old rat very happy." Kiziah had made the kimono Master Splinter was dressed in; it was patterned with clouds in silver thread on a light blue background. It glowed softly in the candlelight. "You will know how to raise them right," the rat continued. "Learn from my mistakes."

Leo was quick to reassure their father that he hadn't made any; Splinter smiled. "Good bye, my sons. You were the best sons any rat could ask for, and you are the best father and uncles." Splinter relaxed, breathing out quietly. His sons waited for him to breathe in again as the second ticked by. Mike was the first to succumb to the silence, crying quietly into his father's robe. Don knelt next to the youngest, holding onto him both offering and receiving support. Raph leaned slightly, shoulder resting on Leo's. The simple touch opened both floodgates and the tears fell.

The next morning, Alexandra and Kiziah woke up to the absence of their grandfather. Leo had the heart-breaking task of explaining what death was, and how it had taken the old rat. Both cried into their father's plastron, though Alexander tried to hide it.

April and Casey wept as well, when they found out. They agreed to go to town to buy firewood and lots of incense for a cremation. It was too risky to bury Splinter.

Raph and Don built a pyre, making sure to stack it well with hot-burning wood. They would need to be careful about smoke, Don explained, so they used very dry wood. The sky was shining brightly as Leo, carrying Splinter's carefully-groomed body, emerged from the house. The entire family, including April and Casey, were gathered around the pyre.

Leo carefully set Splinter down. Kiziah had made a special woven wreath out of the flowers growing near the farm, and set it on Splinter's chest when Leo stepped back. Alexander added a handful of Splinter's favorite tea; Leo's brothers each added a handful of incense and a special item. Mikey tucked a picture of the whole family he had drawn under Splinter's arm. Raph set Splinter's wooden cane next to him and Don added the rat's old shell cell that he never really learned to use. April and Casey put handfuls of incense on Splinter's chest, in the wreath. More was laced into the piles of wood as well.

Raph and Leo silently doused the pyre in gasoline, carefully soaking their father's fur and clothing as well. Each brother took a torch and lit it from a small fire nearby; everyone was crying as they lowered the flame and quickly moved back as the pyre roared into life.

Once the flames died down and the pile smoldered, the family celebrated the old mutant's life. It was a time for laughter and memories, and no tears were shed publicly, but everyone's eyes were bright as they talked about Splinter. Each said goodbye in their own way that night; Leo stayed with his children, Raph went for a run with Lil' Sis, April and Casey snuggled up in their room, Mikey baked as many cookies as he could, and Don ate all of them. The next few days were hard, as alternating rain and sun weathered away the burned spot in the back yard and grass began to grow over the spot. Mikey etched a drawing of Splinter and his name into a thick piece of mahogany, stained it with Raph's help, and put it up over the spot as a grave marker.

_~~Years later~~_

Alexander and Kiziah yelled at the pair of adults wrestling on the floor. Leo had Raph pinned for a moment; then Raph would heave the heavier turtle off of himself and launch an offensive attack. Mikey and Don waited by the sidelines. It was rare that Leo, now Master of the clan, joined in training so much. He preferred to spend hours training by himself in the new dojo and teaching his children.

It had taken months to find a suitable new home, further out to the suburbs of New York. Don and Raph had spent weeks furnishing it, with Mike and Leo staying behind in the lair to guard Lil' Sis and the younglings and train them.

The new lair was larger than the old one. It had seven bedrooms; one for each of the mutants, and one for the rare guest. The living room was clean and even had brand-new TVs, thanks to Mikey's artistic work. He had clients as big as Google, Microsoft, and Nike commissioning artwork from him, but he always made time for his family. Mikey, Alexander, and Kiziah lived on the top floor of the lair. Mikey's room was chaotic, but large; one side was for sleeping and eating, he said, and the other was for his artist work. No one but him could tell the difference.

Kiziah's room was decorated with full-size fashion posters that she replaced every couple of weeks. She insisted that she could be a fashion designer like Mikey was an artist, and worked hard to convince her family that clothing wasn't silly. Leo had finally accepted her habit as being job-worthy when she designed an outfit for him that would fit around his tail and wings and help him blend with the terrain at night.

Alexander's room looked and smelled like a gym, just like Raph's. The walls were covered in black paint, over which he put up posters of rock stars, heavy metal "artists," and planes. He studied them, hoping one day to design a plane of his own. Don had offered to help, when he got old enough to really understand the principles of aerodynamics.

Leo had a ground-floor room with his two oldest brothers, decorated simply with incense holders, candles, decorative and deadly weapons, and a thin mattress. Don had a laboratory that was split by a half-wall for his bedroom. He had equipment he hadn't even dreamed about, thanks to Mike. Raph's room had an attached stall for Lil' Sis, who was seeing her years.

The dojo was also on the ground floor, as was the kitchen. The dojo had new mats on the floor, beautiful weapons in a thick wooden cabinet at one end, and sets of work-out equipment in a corner. The walls were also padded, though thinly. The weapons Master Splinter had made his sons were carefully displayed on the walls of the living room. With the money Mike was making, he had bought brand-new, beautiful weapons for each of the brothers.

The kitchen had been designed by Mike, who, after finding out that painting a pretty picture wasn't enough for one of the best-known artists (his name didn't hurt his popularity), decided he wanted to be a chef instead. But Don had pointed out that most people wouldn't hire a chef who couldn't be on-site, so Mike resigned himself to art. He still cooked often, and was improving every day.

April and Casey had bought a new apartment, far from their former home, and on November 28, 2014, were blessed with a baby boy. April had had an in-home birth, monitored by Casey and Don. Leo was named the baby's godfather, and Mikey laughingly proclaimed himself gender-bent godmother. They had named him Augustus Splinter Jones, and his parents had agreed to keep the turtles' existence from him until he was old enough to understand how to keep a secret.

Leo grunted as Raph slammed him into the wall; he snuck his tail around his brother's ankle and tripped him. The second-oldest hit the ground shell-first, and Leo was on top of him before he could roll out of the way. "Do you yield?" Leo asked in a bored tone of voice.

"Fine, fine," Raph growled. His temper was improving, but he still didn't like to lose.

"Alright, kids, enough watching." Leo set Alexander to sparring against Mike and told Don to help Kiziah with her back-flips. He watched, occasionally fixing a stance or offering a suggestion, as his family practiced. His mind was preoccupied, though.

The Foot were growing restless again. He and his brothers had put down the organization from time to time as the children grew up, but they kept coming back. Alexander and Kiziah were in their teenage years, mentally and physically; Kiziah had caught up to Alexander when he slowed down growing. Don said this was normal in humans, though not so rapidly. They were only about ten years old, though each looked and functioned as a peak-condition athlete. Leo chewed on his tongue. Was it time to introduce them to the world above?

They had been on occasional excursions, but only for a few minutes and never above the sewers. They hadn't even been to April and Casey's new apartment. But he and his brothers were getting old; they were in their thirties now. Don explained that they might have grown as quickly as the children had, and as a result, were mature adults for years, but coming to the end of their lives. Not now, not even in ten years, but… Leo felt it in his bones as he woke every morning. He trained hard to keep that at bay, but Master Splinter had showed them how rapidly time can sneak up on a mutant.

As a father, Leo dreaded exposing his children to the human world. It was cruel, dirty, and dangerous. Lately, Kiziah and Alexander had been pushing to go "up top" with the older turtles during nightly training runs, but didn't disobey – that he knew of – when Leo ordered them to stay inside.

As a Master and leader of the family, the eldest knew he couldn't shelter the two younger mutants forever. They might explore on their own, and Raph had found out the hard way, when he was only seven, how dangerous that could be.

Leo ordered everyone to switch to weapon practice absently. He slid through katas with his katanas effortlessly, watching his brothers and children. Kiziah had chosen the tanto as her weapon of choice, though Leo knew she wanted to truly be a kunoichi; Alexander wielded many types of knives. Don and Kiziah had designed a bandolier for him that held many small throwing knives and three larger daggers for close-up work, though he'd never had the chance to test them on real targets. Raph had added a study of the shuriken, and now could throw even more accurately than Leo. Don had taken the down-time over the past ten years to learn several types of martial arts, and was as deadly without a weapon as he was with one. His brothers could hold their own, but each preferred to have something in hand when battling; only Don was comfortable without his Bo. Mikey had learned how to tumble acrobatically.

Once everyone was sweating heavily, Leo called a halt and ordered showers with a laugh. "You all stink."

There was a stampede to the bathrooms. There were three; Alexander and Mikey made it to the male bathroom first. Kiziah had demanded her own after the "birds and the bees" discussion when she realized she looked different from her brother. Her claws were shorter, her plastron shaped differently, and… Well, there were other differences. She'd come to her father one night, crying because her tail was different. Blushing the whole time, Leo explained the differences between her and her entire family. She was silent for a long time and then went back to bed.

By the time Kiziah left the bathroom, everyone else had showered. She wore clothing, unlike the rest of her family, and therefore spent more time getting ready in the evening and dried off after a shower. Kiziah was well past the days when she needed help to get dressed.

"Family meeting at dinner," her father told her as they passed in the living room. Kiziah nodded and flopped onto the couch with the TV remote. Alexander and Mikey were playing Mario Karts again, and Raph and Don were working on building a new car that would seat six easily, and nine (for April, Casey, and Splinter, Jr.) in a pinch.

The time passed quickly; Kiziah was three episodes into "Say Yes to the Dress" when Mike got up and started cooking. Another episode finished and she was called to the table with Alexander. They raced, as they often did, to the large table. Leo sat at the head and everyone else sat wherever they wanted. Mikey served up a delicious soup with garlic bread and grilled pineapple for dessert.

"Okay, so what's this meetin' about?" Raph asked as Don cleared the dishes. Don sat back down as Leo shifted, leaning on his arms on the table.

"I think it's time we introduced Alexander and Kiziah to the human world."

Raph, Don, and Mikey stared. Alexander and Kiziah blinked and then started to grin.

"Nevah thought I'd hear that from ya, Leo," Raph snickered. "When?"

"Tonight."

Don raised an eyeridge. "No special training?"

Leo grinned. "No more than we got." He turned to his children. "You can only go if you promise to obey any order we give you. You must stay with all of us; disappear and I will beat you myself." Everyone chuckled; Leo was a softie and wouldn't do anything like that. "I won't even tell you not to fight if we come across something, but if we tell you to hide, you do so. No questions asked. Can you do that?"

Alexander considered it for a moment. "Certainly. I promise."

Kiziah nodded as well. "I can do that."

"I trust you to do so. Get your gear and meet us in the dojo."

The two children rushed to their rooms; the four adults went to the dojo with grins all around. It was a rite of passage, what would happen next. It had taken weeks for Leo to choose the two colors for his children.

Kiziah was first into the room, quickly followed by her brother. Kiziah was wearing a black, skin-tight outfit with slight shadows that made her seem to move even when she was still. Her tanto was strapped to her waist, Leo knew she had at least a dozen knives, shuriken, and caltrops hidden in various pockets. Alexander was naked except for his bandolier and a dagger nearly as long as Leo's katanas, but much thicker, strapped to his hip where it did not interfere with his wings.

"Kneel." Leo stood in the middle of the dojo; Raph, to his right, held a small wooden box, a twin to the one Mike held on Leo's left. Don walked behind the two children and stood there, hands behind his shell. Each brother was decked out in their weapons, bandanas, and pads. Kiziah and Alexander didn't like the pads their uncles and father wore, and therefore didn't want them.

Leo fanned his wings gently and started talking quietly. "You've been training for seven years now. Each of you has met and surpassed every challenge we have presented. Through courage, cunning, and agility, Kiziah, you have proven yourself everything a kunoichi should be. You have found your passion in fashion and have done incredibly well in teaching yourself. Your reflexes and your wit will keep you safe in the dangers our family faces."

Raph stepped forward, grinning. "Everything we have, we made or scavenged. You have proven your love for making things, and your love of all colors. Even pink." That was a family joke; Raph had accidentally washed her blood-red shirt with his white sheets and turned everything pink. They hadn't been able to get new ones for almost a week, and every morning, Raph would grump about it. "To reflect your love of all things colored, we have chosen this bandana to reflect your stunning personality, curiosity, and intelligence. You have Raph's energy and Mike's temperament." Raph opened the box to reveal a muted orange bandana, much different from Uncle Mikey's bright orange, a color Kiziah loved and used often in her own clothing. Don reached over Kiziah and took it carefully. The teenager closed her eyes as her uncle tied the bandana tightly over her eyes.

"Your mask is not something to hide behind," he told her solemnly. "It is something that your enemies will come to fear." He leaned closer. "And no one can tell us apart without them," he murmured. Kiziah giggled and opened her eyes.

Leo smiled proudly at her daughter and turned to his son. "Alexander, you have overcome many obstacles in your life. You have been confidant and stubborn in the face of dangers." Mike stepped forward with a smirk. Alexander returned it as Leo continued to speak. "You have learned to be a powerful male despite problems with your growth, and have trained yourself beyond any expectations. You push yourself hard."

"Just like your father," Raph muttered, grinning. Leo shot him a look, but a smile played at the tips of his grin.

"You push yourself hard in order to succeed. You have ambitions that will drive you to perform above and beyond anything we can except." Mike opened the box. "Therefore, we have chosen this bandana to reflect your nobility in your heart, your ambition, and your power. You have my stability and Raph's energy." The bandana was a bright purple, very different from Don's muted magenta-like color. It practically screamed "I am here!" and Alexander grinned. He was flamboyant in an entirely different way from his sister. Don tied the bandana on, saying the same words he did to Kiziah.

"You are now initiates in the Clan," Leo told them as they stood. "You will obey all orders we, your uncles and father, give you. You will face the consequences if you disobey them. When you have experience," _and over my dead body,_ Leo thought to himself, " you will be allowed to roam the human world on your own. Remember that keeping your identity a secret is paramount. The safety of the entire family rests on your shoulders."

"Enough already," Raph growled. "They get it. Let's go!"

Leo rolled his eyes but nodded. They all left the lair, leaving it empty for the first time since they moved in, which just made a pang in Leo's heart again. They moved out, Leo in front and the children in the middle. Raph followed at a distance, Lil' Sis being back at the lair, keeping tail guard.


	12. Attack of Murphy's Law

_I think this is it, everyone…! Warning; um… None this time…_

_Disclaimer: You know it._

**Chapter 12: Attack of Murphy's Law**

Leo smiled as his children peeked at the street below, eyes wide. It was dark, but neon signs and street lights provided enough light for the turtle family to see easily. They had come out of the sewers in a quiet part of town, taken a fire escape to a roof, and were letting the children get used to fresh air – well, fresh for New York – and stars.

"Now, stay with us," Leo ordered once the shock started to wear off. Raph took point; Leo followed with his children on either side, and Don and Mikey followed. Both were ready to save one of the younger ones if they misjudged a leap, but there were no incidents as they leapt across rooftops agilely. Alexander used his wings occasionally, but Kiziah followed her father faithfully.

They came to a wide jump and Raph stopped on the roof across from the rest of them. Alexander made it easily, using his wings for extra jumping power. Kiziah took a running start and also managed to land on the rooftop. Then the three brothers followed.

Suddenly, their run was cut short as a woman screamed in an ally nearby. Leo glanced at Alexander and Kiziah; they looked a little nervous, but prepared. At worst, it would be a few Purple Dragons; the Foot didn't tend to harass civilians much. They went after bigger projects, like businesses and mutant turtles.

Leo motioned for Alexander to stick with Raph and Kiziah to partner with Mikey. That way, they'd have an experienced turtle looking out for them. He couldn't help but worry, though, as he led the vigilante family to the ally the scream had come from.

There were half a dozen Purple Dragons cornering two women and a young man. One of the Dragons was talking to them; probably "suggesting" they hand over their purses and wallets and jewelry.

"Keep it quiet," Leo murmured. He dropped, spreading his wings carefully to slow his dissent. His brothers followed, with Kiziah trailing them and Alexander following his father. They landed in a group between the victims and Purple Dragons.

"Evenin', gents," Leo said darkly. "I suggest you move along."

"What the fuck?" the man in the front demanded. He seemed to count, but Leo could tell it was an effort. "There's more of ya freaks!" His gang seemed to count and, bewildered, started to retreat. Six against four were bad odd for them; six against six? No chance.

Leo glanced at Kiziah and Alexander, who looked grim but determined. He shrugged and turned back to the thug. "Get out of my sight or face the consequences."

Kiziah hadn't ever heard that voice from her father. He sounded… _scary, _her mind supplied. _Scarier than he did when he scolded you for using your tanto as a kitchen knife…_

Alexander was similarly impressed, but kept his attention on the thugs. His tail flicked back and forth, the only sign of his agitation; his father's did the same.

The leader sneered. "Ya freaks 're gonna pay for interuptin' a meetin'."

Leo gave the signal to attack with a flick of his tail; he went for the leader, who swore and hastily brought his crow bar up to ward off the katanas headed for his head. Alexander and Kiziah moved at the same time as the older three turtles. Raph and Mikey, with Alexander, tore into the gang members on the right before they could even bring their bats or, worse, guns, into play. Don and Kiziah did the same to a pair on the left.

It was over in a matter of moments; Kiziah stared at the body of a man she had knocked out. She hadn't drawn her tanto, not needing it to deal with amateurs, but the sheer imbalance of skills just… sickened her. When fighting against her father or uncles, she was the amateur. She could beat Alexander one time in every two; they were evenly matched for now, but she suspected he would soon surpass her. He trained hard; she had a talent. But this… It was nearly bullying. She stored the thought away to discuss with her father later.

Alexander smirked down at the man he'd incapacitated with a knife through the knee. His father had told him no to kill, but had allowed that making sure thugs didn't return to the street was encouraged. He didn't feel remorse at harming another being; he knew that, given the chance, the human would have killed him without a thought. Instead, the pale turtle fanned his wings, feeling powerful and invincible.

Leo watched his children's reactions carefully. He had easily knocked out the leader of the Purple Dragons with a flat katana blade to the head. Kiziah seemed to be shaking slightly, but that could be her outfit. Alexander was clearly proud of himself, standing over the man he had injured like it was prey. Leo motioned for him to remove the knife – they didn't throw things away, ever, and that knife was expensive.

The turtles took back to the rooftop. The three would-be victims scurried back into the light of the real streets, probably swearing never to invade the allies again. They'd probably talk about costumed vigilantes dressed as turtles; it was a common New York myth by now. But they would talk about six; Leo realized, with a start, he might have tipped Karai off, if she heard about the rescue.

"From now on, only four at a time," he ordered when they were safely above the late-night traffic and pedestrians. "We don't need the Foot to know we're initiating two younglings." His brothers agreed readily, concerned for the safety of Kiziah and Alexander, and the two younglings did after a moment of hesitation.

"Let's keep going." They set off again; this time, Leo led the way. They were a mile along when Leo spotted a black shadow on the roof ahead and signaled for everyone to disappear. He saw Mike hunker down with Alexander and Don keep track of Kiziah. Raph and Leo watched the rooftop for the shadow, scanning constantly. Raph checked their six occasionally, to make sure nothing was trying to ambush them.

It came out again, and this time, another shadow followed it. Leo surveyed the situation; they couldn't retreat without the people on the rooftop noticing them. He didn't want to attack, either, so he motioned for everyone to stay silent.

Unfortunately, Murphy's Law was in effect, and Leo felt the presence just as Don yelled a warning. He whipped around to find a black-clothed Karai staring at him from across the rooftop. With her was a group of ninjas, probably three or four dozen. They crammed on the roof, and Leo had no doubt there were more nearby or on their way.

Leo swore in his head. _Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, _he thought to himself. _Turtle luck. Gotta be. _

He stood; his family followed suit and everyone unsheathed their weapons. "On a midnight walk, Leonardo?" Karai called teasingly. "I see your freak offspring have grown up… remarkably like their father."

"Shut up, Karai," Leo snapped.

"And where is the rat?" She pretended to look around. "Did hiding in a snow storm finally do dear old Splinter in?"

Everyone tensed, and Alexander snarled loudly. Leo warned him to be silent with a look; it was meant to anger, to throw them off balance.

"Hit a nerve, did I, Leo, Jr.?" Karai turned her attention to Alexander. "I'd've thought Daddy would have taught you better."

"Shut up, bitch," Alexander yelled. Leo smacked him – gently – with his tail and Raph muttered at him to shut up himself.

"Tsk, tsk. Your manners leave much to be desired." The leader of the Foot turned back to Leo. "Well, now, since you have been _very_ difficult to track down… I suppose we should take this opportunity to wipe out the entire infection you call a family."

That was it. Leo signaled for the family to spread out and attack – though he knew Don and Raph would stay with Kiziah and Alexander. He jumped off the building, using his wings to bring himself up quickly, startling some Foot soldiers.

Alexander copied his tactic and barreled into a pair of humans. He grabbed a small one by the head and beat his wings quickly, trying to yank him off the ground. He succeeding in snapping something, as the human suddenly went limp. The pale turtle dropped his prey and gained some altitude, palming two longer daggers in both hands. He dove into a tight group of Foot who were clustered around Karai and his father, using the daggers as claws to rake heads, hands, and eyes where possible. He then joined the fighting on foot, using his tail to his advantage.

Kiziah reluctantly drew her tanto and followed her uncle Don into the melee. They worked well as team; Don had a longer reach with his Bo, and she struck down any human that got close enough to threaten herself or her uncle. She saw blood and forced her bile down; human blood was thinner than her own, and slightly redder. It sprayed and oozed, she noticed in the back of her mind, depending on where it came from. She'd ask Don later, if she could bear bringing the memory back.

The hothead launched himself with a roar into the middle of the crowd of ninjas, fists flying. Raph also kept an eye on Alexander, but the kid was doing fairly well. He was a little overconfident, just like his father; he also yelled taunts like Mikey used to. Raph turned to stabbing a Foot soldier in the abdomen with his blunt Sai and checked on the silent turtle. He was wielding his nunchucks like the pro he was, tumbling between enemies.

Mikey missed his voice box at times like these. He had great ideas for insults; he could hear Alexander yelling some fairly good ones. The youngling just needed some practice. He wasn't a big prankster…yet. Dear old Uncle Mikey planned to change that. Mike pulled his mind back into the fight; he was half-way through a backflip and felt his foot crunch someone's jaw.

Kiziah tried to keep her uncle in sight like her father had ordered, but somehow, she was getting separated from Don. The bodies between them kept multiplying. Kiziah twirled away from a ninja wielding one of those wickedly sharp katanas she knew they were famously good at using, and suddenly the ground under her feet disappeared. She dropped and shrieked; above the din of battle, she wasn't sure anyone heard her.

Her hand banged into a brick overhang over a window; she yelped in pain. Something broke in her finger as she clutched at a fire escape desperately. Using her training and sheer desperation, Kiziah managed to slow her descent enough so that, when she hit cement, she didn't break anything major. Her shell hurt like… Well, like shell. Her ankle was twisted under her, and her whole body pounded to her heart beat.

_Just a scratch. Get under cover. Dad will find you…_ Kiziah chanted to herself, trying to get up the willpower to move. She managed to crawl behind a dumpster before the world began turning darker. _Please, Daddy…_ She passed out, slumping against the filthy ally wall.

Leo heard her daughter scream and his blood ran cold; he bellowed for Raph to find her, keep her safe, but Karai was keeping his attention on her. He was bleeding already from several minor cuts; his enemy had several minor lesions as well.

He launched himself at Karai; since he had mainly been on defense since the battle begun, fending her and her soldiers off, it took the woman by surprise and gave him the split second he needed. Karai gasped as she felt the sword on her throat.

"Call your army off, Karai," Leonardo ordered, bearing down on the sword – and Karai – until she was forced to kneel. He smelled of sweat and sewer, but underneath that, he also smelled of heavy incense. Some part of Karai filed that information away in her mind, but her full attention was on the blade ready to sever her head from her body.

"You'll just have to kill me," Karai answered as bravely as she could. She was counting on Leonardo's precious honor to save her life.

This time, Leo was in a hurry, and his daughter was hurt. He stepped back and swung the katana rapidly. It lodged in the neck vertebrae of the human; Karai gaped at him, astonished. He watched her, impassively, as blood spurted around his sword as he levered it out of her neck. "You were warned." The life slowly drained from her eyes.

The battlefield was suddenly silent. Don and Mikey looked around; the ninjas were all facing towards where Leo and Karai had been battling. Both their stomachs sinking, they pushed through the black cloud to find Leo standing over Karai's lifeless body.

"Foot." Leo addressed the silent crowd watching him. "Go back to your normal human lives. I have killed two of your leaders. Your organization is dead. We will not take revenge on any of you _if_ you go back to your homes, jobs, and former lives. If you continue your life of crime, injuring innocent people, we will be forced to put you down like I did your leader."

Leo motioned for his brothers to disappear. Alexander floated down to meet them in the ally where a worried Raph was carefully extracting Kiziah from behind a dumpster. "Kid had the sense to hide herself," he grunted. Don quickly checked her over as Leo knelt by her head and tried to cajole her awake again.

"Not bad, considering… Broken ankle and wrist, and probably a few broken fingers and torn things, but nothing a few weeks won't cure," Don pronounced. Leo gently stroked his daughter's smooth cheek; to be so badly hurt her first time out might make her scared of the world above. He hoped she would pull through, with her family's support.

"We should get home," Leo suggested, glancing at the rooftop. It was a 50/50 chance the Foot might try to take revenge. "Alexander, Raph, you two take point. I'll carry Kiziah. Don, Mike, cover our six." Each turtle nodded and Raph went to remove the cover from the sewer nearby.

Leo picked up Kiziah bridal-style, gently tucking her head against his shoulder. Mikey put her arms folded over her chest so her fingers wouldn't bump on anything accidentally, and the whole family headed home. They took a circuitous route, covering their tracks carefully.

Once they were inside the lair, Don and Leo jumped into action. The eldest gently lay Kiziah down on the table in the lab that the braniac had swept clear of books and instruments. They cleaned her up, removed her black suit – she was female, but there were no embarrassing outward signs of that – and wrapped the numerous cuts and scrapes she had received either in the fight or during her fall. Don put a splint on her ankle and wrist and then taped her fingers straight.

Meanwhile, Mike set to cooking a dinner. Raph watched Alexander as the young turtle came down from the adrenaline rush that was the outside world, especially after a fight. The pale turtle shivered slightly, probably remembering some of the humans' expressions or words. It was rough, the first time an enemy was trying to kill you.

_Real sensitive, Raph,_ the hothead sneered at himself. _The kid's just been through a hell of a lot for his first night on the town._

"Alexander," Raph called. "Come into the dojo." Alexander did so quietly. _Leo should be doin' this. You ain't a sensitive person, hot head. _"So… How was your first night?"

"Not like I thought it would be." Alexander sat on the mats, facing the door; Raph knelt, facing him. The brothers had grown up kneeling, but their children were more flexible and could truly sit comfortably.

_What would Master Splinter say?_ the hothead asked himself. The sharp pang of losing his father had worn away to a dull ache whenever he thought about his sensei. "Well… It was a lot more excitement than we had planned," Raph commented lamely.

Alexander suddenly grinned. "It was awesome. Did you see me kick butt?! Those Foot didn't know what to do! I was all in their face and everything!"

This wasn't what Raph was expected. The eldest blinked and then grinned. "Yeah, but your form was sloppy," he admonished. "It's a good thing those Foot weren't trained well. You can't get by on wings and tail alone. You have to be careful. You saw what happened to your sister."

"Yeah, but I can't fall!" Alexander protested.

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah… Whatever." Alexander rolled his eyes.

Raph shook his head slightly as the teenager left. He could see a lot of himself in the youngling – well, they were, technically, a combination of all four brothers. He had matured in the years of being an uncle, but he understood Alexander still. The power, invincibility, that he felt when he defeated their enemies… It was a rush unlike almost anything in the world. It was addicting, too; he would have to watch Alexander.

For now, though, it was time for check on his niece. Raph heaved himself to his feet, not bothering to be graceful about it. He was getting old; he could feel it. His bones ached in the morning and when it rained. Don had said something about low pressure systems, but he didn't understand it. All he knew was that he was getting slower. But he'd be damned if his nephew knew it!

Raph made his way into the nursery, carefully; when his kid was hurt, Leo could get nastily territorial. But the leader seemed calm and was speaking to Don quietly in the corner. Kiziah was still out cold, or maybe asleep; Raph patted her shoulder gently.

Everything would be okay, he knew. Even though Master Splinter wasn't there to guide them, Leo was doing a fine job of it, not that Raph would admit that out loud. They'd all come a long way from the lonely scientist, immature jokester, arrogant Fearless, and, yes, even he himself had improved in keeping his temper under control.

Raph quietly left the room without disturbing his brothers and was headed towards the kitchen when, suddenly, he was covered in a bucket-full of pink paint. He roared in surprise as the paint dripped down his face, quickly wiping it from his eyes. Above him, he could hear Alexander snickering, but his nephew didn't have prankster in his blood nearly so much as a certain turtle…

"Mikey, I'm going to kill you!"

So much for keeping his temper.

_The end! Please do R&R&C!_


End file.
